One Piece: Broken Locks
by Kakusei
Summary: A world only breaks when someone important is removed from the very fabric of its existence. To forestall the destruction, someone must either return them or take their place. Join Randy as he is chosen to do just that, and is sent his greatest challenge ever, and the adventure of a lifetime! (Self-Insert)
1. Chapter 1

What happens when a world breaks? Not its government, its lands, or its people; the world itself. The answer is it begins cracking apart, forming fissures in reality itself, and things fade form existence if they fall into the crack, or even touch them.

The next question: HOW does a world break? For that, you can ask any time traveler. You remove someone important to not only its timeline, but the integrity of the dimension. And by remove, I mean erase from existence, not just kill. There's a near-infinite amount of universes where you can find someone dead from either old age, murder, or a hundred other reasons. So killing the important person or persons just won't do it.

Now for the solution: How do you stop a world from breaking? Well, you have two options. You can either somehow bring that person back, or you can replace them with someone else, and hope they fill the spot right. And that's where I come in.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Alright, let's get this out of the way before anything else. I've been a horrible person when it comes to sticking with a story for long periods of time. That doesn't mean I'm a bad writer, at least I want to think so. You guys have told me time and time again how much you love my work. But between chronic depression, a full-time job, my own tendency for having multiple projects I wish to do, and my inability to motivate myself some days for any of my projects, I honestly don't have a ton of confidence about this. However, I do feel very strongly about this story, at least as I started writing just for myself and my own desires. With enough work, I got far enough where I think I can share what I've done with all of you. I hope you like this, as I think no one as far as I know has done a self-insert story like this before. And without further ado, welcome to the world of...**_

* * *

 _ **One Piece: Broken Locks  
**_

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Ability or Technique"  
**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Saga 1: East Blue**_

* * *

 _ **Arc 0: Romance Dawn**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Unlock the Door**_

* * *

Alright, lemme start with this: I'm dead. Recently so, and some nut I can't discern aside from a vague human outline brought me here. They say they're a God of Death, and that I can't see them because I couldn't withstand the visage, even as a ghost.

"That's bull, I'm dead, I should totally be able to see what you look like!" I said in a snappy tone. "Even in Greece you could see a God of the Dead in their home terrain, ghost or not!"

"Well, maybe I don't WANT to be seen by you, ever think about that!?" the outline snapped in return to me. "Not all of us Gods are vain and pompous, and you know it!"

"A shy God of Death, that's a new one," I snarked. "I bet you're not even a God of Death, just an assistant."

"SHUT UP OR YOU'RE NOT GETTING REINCARNATED!" the outline yelled in a much more female tone.

'Yep, I struck a nerve.' "Fine, fine, why AM I being reincarnated anyway?" I asked, easing up a bit. "Doesn't that usually take a while or something like that?"

"Well, yes, normally, but you're being called in as a special case," the outline said, pointing a finger at me. "Look, here's the bit: One part of the multiverse is starting to fall apart because a load-bearing person was somehow erased from its history. You just so happen to be compatible with that missing person, so YOU are gonna take their place until either we can get them back or you succeed in their stead. Whichever happens first got it?"

"Okay, so who am I replacing?" I asked as the figure got closer, before placing a faded hand in front of my face.

"Monkey D. Luffy," the figure said as I immediately passed out.

-X-

It's been a year and a half since I had that vision. I thought it was a dream at first, but there was just something in the back of my mind that told me it wasn't a dream. And now, I was Monkey D. Randall, seven years old, born and raised in Foosha Village on Goa, and Grandson of the Hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp. I'm also the son of the most Wanted man alive and leader of the Revolutionaries, Monkey D. Dragon, but Grandpa never wants me to say that out loud, for good reason. I swear he named Dragon that cause it sounds cool, which it kinda does. Can you imagine a Marine named Admiral Dragon? That just sounds like a badass coming to get you.

Er, back to my point, the real confirmation for the vision was me knowing some things I wasn't supposed to, like what exactly some of the newspapers said when they talked about wars and such. Believe me, Grandpa was surprised that I was able to read and understand this so quickly. Kept talking about how I was gonna make a smart Marine some day. Man, I didn't realize how annoying he was! And scary too… Luffy was not exaggerating by the training Garp made him, and by this new extension, me do. Who the hell throws a six-year-old into a freaking ravine and expects them to survive!?

But my world changed when Shanks and the Red-Haired Pirates came to town. He immediately took a shine to me, and honestly, he was awesome. He got drunk a lot, but it's really hard to hate him. He's got such a warm personality it's hard for me to see him being a badass, despite knowing very well he could be.

"Come on Shanks, lemme go with you!" I said, begging my new idol. "Give me one good reason I can't go with you!"

"You're an anchor, Randy," Shanks said, pointing out a very good reason. For whatever reason, I was a fantastic swimmer before I died. But now, I couldn't swim my way out of a wet paper bag. "You can't be a sailor if you can't swim, let alone be a pirate."

"That's not the point!" I said, snapping at him. "So what if I can't swim? You guys can just get me out!"

"And what if we're not there?" Shanks said after taking another swig of his mug of ale. "Who's gonna save you if no one's watching?"

"I'll be super careful, honest!" I said, trying my best to at least barter a bit. "Well, what if you train me? Maybe you can just help me learn! My punch is already as strong as a pistol!"

"Randy, we can't stick around and teach a little kid how to fight," Shanks replied. "Here, have a glass of milk." He passed me a glass of milk, courtesy of Makino, and I only looked at him.

"Nice try Shanks, but I know you're just gonna make fun of me for not choosing a man's beverage!" I said, sticking my tongue out and pulling down my eyelid.

"Hey now, you're not gonna waste a drink that Makino got you, are ya?" Shanks said, not missing a beat. "That'd be rude."

"I know that, I'm just beating you to the punch," I said, taking the glass anyway and drinking up.

"Hahaha, that's a good point!" Shanks said, laughing off being "outsmarted". "Look, give it another ten years maybe, and then I'll THINK about taking you out with us."

"Ten years is too long! I could go out on my own by then!" I said, trying to make a point.

"Randy, you're a smart kid," Benn Beckman said, drawing my attention away from Shanks. "Yes, the life of a pirate is one of freedom, but it's also one of danger and hardship. Our captain only has your wellbeing on his mind. He's right, we won't always be able to watch you and save you from falling into the ocean or worse. He's not teasing you because it's funny to him."

"Bullshit, he loves making fun of me!" I snapped at the wise smoker as he blew out a small cloud of smoke.

"Guilty as charged!" Shanks said, laughing. "I love teasing the little anchor!"

"Quit it already!" I grumbled a bit as I turned to Makino and asked for a meal.

-X-

A bit later, the party was dying down and most of the booze had gone as I was still eating. Despite my former normal status, being a D.-bearer meant I had a huge appetite. I had to learn to actually pace myself to not devour five times as much food as I did before.

"Hey Shanks," I asked as I swallowed a bite of some steak.

"Yeah kid?" Shanks asked in return.

"How much longer are you gonna stay at this village?" I asked.

"Let's see… We've been using this town as our base for about a year," Shanks thought aloud, "We'll probably go sailing a few more times, and then we'll head north of here."

"A few more times, huh? I'll have to learn how to swim by then," I said, grinning at Shanks.

"Good luck, kid," said Shanks as he wasn't entirely paying attention to me. "Do what you wanna do."

" _Oh right, this is the part where Higuma walks in,"_ I thought as I noticed the open chest beside me. Inside was the Devil Fruit Luffy ate to get his Gomu-Gomu no Mi powers. It looked like a purple melon alright, but the stem looked kind of off to me. I did only get one real look at it like most fans, so maybe it was just seeing it in person. _"Alright, do I eat this and basically follow the same path Luffy did, or do I ignore it and try to do it my way?"_ It didn't take much self-convincing. With Enel, Crocodile, and more on the horizon, I knew I needed to have as many advantages as I could get. So I grabbed it and took a bite, immediately regretting my decision for a moment. The taste was almost unbearable; I felt like I was gargling warm liquid garbage as the flesh of the fruit slid down my throat.

I watched as Higuma complained about not having the ten barrels of booze he wanted and only the bottle Shanks offered him. My jaw dropped as Higuma broke the bottle over Shanks' head, and then he razed the bartop with his sword to try to intimidate Shanks. As he walked out, Makino attended to him before the entire crew burst out laughing at how Higuma had made a joke out of their Captain.

"He's not worth the time," I said, commenting on the scene after I had already polished off the Devil Fruit, much to my displeasure.

"Heh, you're pretty sharp, Randy," Shanks laughed, cleaning up the mess Higuma made. "A blowhard like that isn't worth the booze he just wasted."

"Captain, that Devil Fruit we took from that last battle is gone!" Lucky Roo exclaimed as he held up the chest I found the Devil Fruit in, now empty.

"WHAT!? FIND IT NOW!" Shanks roared as he started frantically searching the area, sending the rest of the crew into a bit of a panic, aside from Benn Beckman.

"Captain, wasn't that chest beside Randy?" he calmly pointed out as Shanks' eyes locked on me.

"Randy," Shanks said very coldly as I felt a very distinct pressure coming from him, his eyes locked on me, "Did you. Eat the fruit. In this chest."

"Y-yes, I'm sorry Shanks!" I apologized frantically. "I didn't mean to take it from you! I thought it was dessert!"

Shanks' expression went from cold and focused to one of concern and compassion. "Randy, do you know what Devil Fruits are?"

"Well, only rumors," I fibbed with a poker face I thought only the Question could pull off, "They're supposed to give amazing powers, but you lose your ability to swim, right?"

"That's right, but you're going to be weak to a lot of other things too," Shanks continued, "And your Devil Fruit was an unknown one. We thought it was the Gum-Gum Fruit, but we checked a guidebook and we saw it was slightly different."

"It was?" I asked, quite confused and scared that I didn't get the Gum-Gum Fruit. "So what does that mean?"

"It means you're going to have to figure out the powers of this yourself," Shanks replied as he smiled at me. "You're a smart kid, so you can do it." It felt weird having Shanks encourage me like that after all the teasing he did. He ruffled my dark brown hair just to spite me though.

-X-

A few days later, I was still trying to figure out exactly what my Devil Fruit did so I could name it at least. As far as I could tell, I didn't eat a Zoan Fruit or a Logia Fruit. I wasn't able to change into an animal or a hybrid of said animal. And I'm pretty sure if I had eaten a Logia fruit, I would have been practically bursting with an element by now. So all that left was Paramecia Fruits, which were random at best. My guess was whatever powers I had were activated by thought, and it was a specific thought.

I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard those mountain bandits again in Makino's tavern.

"Those assholes again?" I commented as I peeked in to see what they were doing. They were getting drunk and bad-mouthing Shanks and his crew, which didn't surprise me. It made me mad, sure, but this was a turning point. Maybe if I could stop Shanks from losing his arm… I know; all the things about Time Travel I'd learned back on Earth said this was a bad idea, but I had to do something. I may be replacing Luffy, but I'm not him. Fate itself said so since I didn't get to eat Gum-Gum Fruit. "Things aren't going to be the same, no matter what I do. If I can, I'm going to try to make things better in the little spots I can."

"Hey, wench! Howza 'bout you an' me get frisky?" I heard Higuma say with a slightly drunken slur.

"Um, thank you, but I'll have to decline," Makino said as she tried to back up behind the counter.

"Decline? Bitch, I am worth ฿8,000,000, and you know it!" Higuma roared as he started to draw his sword.

" _That tears it."_ "Hey, HIGUMA!" I roared myself as I ran inside, causing the drunken bandit to turn away from Makino. "EAT FIST!" Much to everyone's surprise, I had leaped as high as his face and slugged him into a table further way from Makino.

"You little brat!" Higuma growled as he stood up and pushed away one of his followers. "You wanna fight?"

"Sounds good to me!" I returned. "Let's take this outside. I'll fight you one-on-one, unless you don't think you can fight a seven-year-old boy on your own?" Higuma only glowered at me as he realized that I had him. "Thought so."

-X-

I had at least managed to pull Higuma away from the tavern to prevent any further damage. The fight went about as well as I expected. I landed a few good punches on Higuma, but his larger size gave him the advantage. The fact that the spot we were fighting in being blocked off by his men let them do things like trip me up or kick me towards their leader wasn't helping much either.

"Heh, I'll give you this much, you sobered me up quick," Higuma chuckled as he pressed my face into the ground with his foot. "But I think I'll make an example of you." He leveled the tip of his sword to my face, right under my left eye and pressed it a bit into the flesh of my cheek.

"Let the boy go!" the Mayor yelled as he and Makino arrived. "I don't know what Randy did, and I don't want to fight you, but I'm willing to pay." He then started to bow.

"Mayor, don't do it!" I yelled, stopping him mid-bow. "This jackass is beneath you! He insulted Makino as a host and he doesn't deserve anything but an ass-kicking!"

"Randy…" Makino gasped as she covered her mouth.

"Heh, the elder's got the right idea, but you've got a mouth, brat," Higuma commented as he started digging his blade's edge into my flesh. "You've done the unpardonable… you attacked me without warning… you called me names… and you wasted my good time." He punctuated the last part by pushing down and out on the blade, cutting it into my face. I couldn't help but scream as the warm blood trickled down my face and onto the dirt.

"Randy!" The Mayor cried out. "Please, let him go!"

"I was wondering why no one welcomed us at the port…" I heard Shanks say as I saw him appear behind Makino and Woop Slap. "So this is why… and it's the bandits from the other day!"

"Captain…" Makino breathed in relief.

"Hey Randy, what's wrong?" he teased. "Isn't your punch as powerful as a pistol?" He then looked at the roughed-up Higuma and laughed a bit. "On second thought, looks like it is!"

"Pirate… what're you still doing here?" Higuma asked. "Are you gonna clean up the whole town this time?" Shanks ignored him as he kept walking forward. "I suggest you don't get any closer, or I might open fire, you coward."

"Didn't you hear?" a bandit taunted as he leveled a pistol to Shanks' head and cocked it. "Don't come any closer… or I'll blow your head off! Haha!"

"You're putting your life on the line by pointing that gun at me," Shanks answered in a calm voice.

"Huh? What're you on about?" the bandit asked.

"I'm saying it's not safe to point guns," Shanks explained in his calm voice. Lucky Roo moved as fast as a flash and while still eating from his bone-in meat, he shot the bandit in the head.

"He's… he's moving at Soru-speed at least!" I muttered to myself, trying to ignore the bleeding wound on my face.

"Now you've done it, you bastard!" one of the other bandits complained as Shanks' would-be murderer fell to the ground dead. "You're fighting dirty!"

"Dirty?" Benn Beckman asked as he and the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates walked towards the group. "Don't make us laugh. You're not dealing with Saints here."

"We're pirates, and we don't play by the rules!" Shanks declared.

"Shut up!" a bandit ordered. "This is none of your business!"

"Listen well, bandits," Shanks stated, "You can dump food or booze on me… or even spit on me. I can laugh that off, but… GOOD REASON OR NOT, NO ONE MESSES WITH MY FRIENDS!"

"Haha, nice speech," Higuma laughed, "You pirates run away on your little ships, and you think you can stand up to us? KILL THEM!"

"DIE!" the bandits roared as a swarm of them charged at Shanks.

"Captain, let me take care of this," Benn Beckman said as he stepped forward with his rifle. It was pretty amusing to watch Benn use the first bandit's face to douse his cigarette and then club the rest with his rifle. "Don't overestimate yourselves, bandits," Benn said as he lit a fresh cigarette and leveled the rifle's barrel with Higuma's face. "If you wanna fight us, you better get a fleet of Marines to back you up."

"Holy crap…" I uttered as Makino and Woop Slap looked on in awe as well.

"H-hey, wait a minute!" Higuma begged, "The brat started this…"

"Well, that doesn't really matter," Shanks said, "There IS a bounty on your head after all."

Higuma froze for a moment before he reached in his coat and threw that damn smoke bomb to the ground.

"C'mere, brat!" Higuma barked as he grabbed me from under his foot in the chaos.

"Hey, leggo of me, you jackass!" I barked back as Higuma bolted for the shore.

-X-

"Whew, that was a great escape," Higuma congratulated himself, "No one would ever expect a Mountain Bandit to escape to the sea."

"Well, I only used you as a hostage," he said as he turned to me, "But you're useless to me now. I've killed fifty-six people that made me mad. What's one more?"

"Go to hell!" I roared as Higuma lifted his leg back to kick me. As he tried to, I leapt off his leg and towards his face.

"I'm gonna kick your ass so bad your jaw will be locked shut for a month!" I roared as Higuma stumbled back in the boat from my punch, making it rock for a moment. Much to my surprise, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't. In my brief realization I might have used my Devil Fruit; he used my distraction to grab my head and throw me out into the sea, looking pleased with himself.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU CALLED SHANKS A COWARD, AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE BALLS TO FIGHT THEM!" I yelled at him as I sailed towards the water's surface. As I hit the water, I felt my strength being sapped as I tried desperately to tread water. Higuma looked pleased until a massive eel-like shadow appeared behind him. The last thing I saw on Higuma's face was a look of utter terror, like the kind you feel when you're in a nightmare and can't scream for help.

"No… no… not you!" I gargled as I tried to save myself from drowning. "Someone… help me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as the Lord of the Coast lunged at me, its fangs bore to devour me. But he never got the chance.

The next thing I knew, I was safely in Shanks' embrace as he bobbed on the water's surface, glaring daggers at the Sea King. "Get lost." The Lord of the Coast flinched at those words and Shanks' glare, and ran for whatever depths it nested in. It was all I could do to try not to cry. "Hey Randy, thanks for helping out Makino. She told me everything." It was then the dam broke and my tears started flooding out, mixing with the blood and seawater that soaked my face. "Hey, what're the tears for? You're a tough kid, remember?"

"But… Shanks…" I bawled, "YOUR ARM! YOU LOST YOUR AAAARRRRMMMM!" All I could do was cry as Shanks patted my head, not even flinching that his left arm had been eaten in exchange for my life.

"It's just an arm, Randy," Shanks said in the comforting tone I heard what felt like so many days ago. "You're alright, and that's all that matters." And that all but cemented why Shanks had turned me down, and how far I needed to go.

-X-

"So… you're going for good this time?" I asked fighting back tears again. It had a few days after Shanks saved me, the cut on my face Higuma gave me had healed and left a wider scar on my face than Luffy's self-inflicted one, with a large triangle shape to its look. Shanks' arm had healed over as well, but I didn't want to look at it. I could barely hold my head up to look at him.

"Yeah, we've stuck around here long enough," Shanks said, not missing a beat. "It's about time we headed out of here. You gonna miss me?"

"Shanks, cut the calm attitude crap," I said as my tears welled up again. "I know… I know you have Haki…"

"Randy?" Shanks asked, confused at what I was saying. "How did…?"

"I KNOW! YOU USED HAOSHOKU HAKI TO STOP THE LORD OF THE COAST!" I yelled in my rage and sadness. "YOU COULD HAVE USED BUSOSHOKU HAKI TO SAVE YOUR ARM AND ME!" As I lifted my head to look at Shanks, I saw his confusion melt to compassion and concern. He could feel what I was feeling, I could just see it. "YOU'RE EVEN SENSING MY FEELINGS WITH KENBUNSHOKU HAKI!"

All I could do was cry. It was my fault he lost his arm again, and in the past few days, it hit me. He could have saved me without losing his arm. And yet he gladly traded it and part of his strength as a swordsman to save me. And I could have stopped it. But I didn't. I couldn't. I hated how weak I was, and all my knowledge of this world did me jack shit.

"YOU COULD HAVE DAMN WELL SAVED ME WITHOUT LOSING YOUR ARM!" I continued to cry as the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates looked at me in awe of what I was saying. "WHY!? WHY DID YOU DO IT!?"

"Randy…" Shanks said as he looked at me, with awe in his own voice at what I was saying, before he smiled. "I said it when that bandit tried to intimidate us. No one messes with my friends. I would gladly help my friends, no matter the cost."

"I… I'm gonna do it…" I hiccuped out.

"Do what?" Shanks asked as he looked him square in the eye, tears rolling down my face.

"I'M GONNA GET A CREW THAT'S STRONGER THAN YOURS!" I continued, "I'M GONNA FIND THE ONE PIECE!" I threw my head back and raised my fists to the heavens. "AND I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

I knew the crew was all smiling at me. I didn't see Shanks' reaction, but I could feel it in his voice. "So… you want to be bigger than us, huh? Well then…" He took off the Straw Hat he wore, and placed it over my eyes. "Can you do me a favor? Keep this hat safe for me. This hat means a lot to me." Gol D. Roger's straw hat… Did I really deserve it? "Promise me you'll give it back to me someday… when you've become a great pirate."

I lifted the hat off my face and turned my face to meet Shanks' own. "You bet your red hair I will!" I promised as I put the hat properly on my head. I could feel the smile spreading on my face, my tears of rage and sorrow becoming tears of joy.

"That kid's gonna be big…" Benn Beckman said as Shanks passed him. "He's got something special, I can tell."

"Yeah… I have no doubts about it. Randy reminds me of myself when I was a kid," Shanks said as he climbed aboard his ship. "PULL UP THE ANCHOR! SET SAIL!"

With that, Shanks and the Red-Haired Pirates left my sight, and I renewed my personal vow that day.

-X-

Ten years later, Randy finally set out to sea at age 17. He'd trained diligently for those ten years, and his body was now a toned, lithe fighting machine. He wore an open red vest over a black t-shirt, a pair of blue shorts with a small black leather bag strapped to the right thigh, and straw sandals. Shanks' straw hat sat upon his dark brown locks and Randy wore it with pride in his light brown eyes.

"He finally left Mayor," Makino said as she looked at the docks with the rest of the villagers. "I'm gonna miss that rascal."

"He'll ruin this town's reputation!" Woop Slap complained. "I never thought he was being serious about this!"

A bit later, I had made it out to sea, and was checking a map and compass as I reclined against the barrel in the dinghy. "Let's see… what's my heading now?" I asked no one in particular as I heard the ocean moving. "So, finally decided to see me off, did you… Lord of the Coast?"

The aforementioned Sea King came out of the water, glaring me down. As it hissed, I could only smile.

"Go ahead and try to eat me, I'm gonna show you what I've been doing the past ten years," I said, standing up in the boat and turning to face the Lord of the Coast as it lunged for me. **"Hard Air Pistol!"**

I jabbed my fist at the air in line with my foe. The sheer force of my punch launched a fist-sized bullet of air right at its face. The Lord of the Coast shot back so hard it might have gotten whiplash, a large bruise forming on its cheek as it flew out of the water.

"And that's for Shanks," I flaunted, beaming as I looked back out to the sea. "Now, all I have to do is find my crew. At least ten people, including those Luffy was going to recruit anyway. Then the Jolly Roger… and we'll be set." I grinned as I looked at the horizon, taking a deep breath. "WATCH OUT WORLD, I'M GONNA BECOME THE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

* * *

 ** _A/N: Thanks for reading if you made it this far. Please rate, review, and follow if you want to see more! Next time on One Piece: Broken Locks, we meet up with Alvida and a certain chore boy!_**


	2. Chapter 2

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Ability or Technique"  
**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2: They call him "Straw Hat" Randy_**

* * *

What had started as a beautiful day was quickly turning into a disaster.

"Well, there it is," I said, sighing as I started packing my non-food supplies into a leather drawstring bag. "I knew the whirlpool would be coming up sooner or later…" Dead ahead of me was a massive whirlpool, threatening to swallow my dinghy and send me to Davy Jones' Locker. "Well, let's get this over with." I quickly opened the barrel I was using for food as I let my appetite loose and swallowed everything as I got to the edge of the whirlpool. As I climbed into the barrel and re-sealed it, I wondered how long it'd take for me to be found.

-X-

Apparently long enough for me to fall asleep to the gentle rocking of the waves and the cawing of seagulls once I escaped the whirlpool. I realized I was being rolled around by some poor sap quickly enough after hearing struggling grunts. I didn't quite care to make it out, but I heard some whimpering excuses and some greedy blackmail. "Alright, time for the big entrance," I chuckled quietly as the barrel was righted.

-X-

"WHAT A GREAT NAP!" the young man who had just burst out of the barrel roared as Coby could only look on in fear and surprise. Without even noticing, this guy had knocked out one of Alvida's crewmen. "Huh? Who takes a nap on the ground like that? He'll catch a cold."

"IT'S YOUR FAULT!" The two snapped at the straw hat-clad young man. A blade passed in front the youth's face as one of the two tried to intimidate him.

"Are you toyin' with us when you know we're pirates!?" the purple-shirted pirate demanded.

"I'm kinda getting hungry again," the youth commented as he turned to Coby. "You know where some food is?"

"Listen when people are talking!" the purple shirt replied as his eyes bugged out a bit and his teeth were replaced by fangs.

"You damn kid!" his partner roared as they drew their blades back over their heads. Coby flinched as the youth turned to face his attackers. "DIE!"

" **Tekkai."** Coby heard the youth say before he heard the snapping of metal and then the piercing of… wood? He shivered in fear at the idea of this random guy being cut to a bloody mess, before finally getting the guts to look. However, he could only stare in shock as the straw hat-bearer was perfectly fine and his own "crewmates" were shivering in fear with broken swords in hand!

"What's the big idea?" the straw hat-bearer asked as he looked at the two in slight annoyance and confusion.

"W-Who are you!?" one of the two asked in terror.

"Me?" the youth answered, "I'm Monkey D. Randy; The pleasure's yours." Coby could only stare in shock as the duo grabbed their unconscious friend and fled like their lives depended on it, dragging the third along.

"What the… what just happened?" Coby asked himself as he couldn't figure out how this Randy survived being cut with swords, let alone embedding half of them in the ceiling!

"Man, what's their problem?" Randy asked as he folded his arms.

"R-Run, hurry!" Coby urged. "If they come back with their friends, you'll be killed!"

"Don't sweat it," Randy said, unfazed by Coby's warning.

"How can you be so carefree!?" Coby asked, still shaking a bit. "There's still a ton of them up on deck!" Randy started walking away, with Coby hanging off his arm as he tried a futile effort to drag him the other way. "This way, c'mon! H-H-Hey! Not that way!"

-X-

"Jackpot!" Randy said as he eyed the food storage of the ship, having dragged Coby all the way there. Coby was acting as lookout at the door while Randy helped himself to whatever he wanted, starting with some apples.

"Maybe they won't find us here," Coby surmised as he calmed down a bit. "M-My name is Coby. You're Randy-san, right? That was incredible just now! How did you do that?!"

"Trade secret," Randy replied as he finished off an apple and moved onto another. "Man, haven't had fruit this fresh since I left town. So Coby, is this a pirate ship?"

"No, it's a passenger ship that's being raided by Alvida-sama," Coby answered as he watched Randy devour another apple.

"Eh, guess that's not gonna matter," Randy said as he tossed another apple core aside. "Do you know if there's any good boats onboard?"

"I-I think so…" Coby suggested. He didn't know if there were, but there had to be lifeboats on a ship like this.

"Good, I need to replace mine," Randy said as he tossed two more apple cores aside, "Kinda lost it in that whirlpool."

"You mean that whirlpool outside!?" Coby asked in amazement. "No one can survive that!"

"You'd be surprised what someone can survive!" Randy laughed. "So, are you one of Alvida's pirates?" The question made Coby freeze up. "Because you seem to know a lot about them."

"Actually…"

-X-

"Pff, so you got on the wrong boat and now you're too chicken to quit the crew?" Randy snickered as Coby slumped in defeat.

"You're brutally honest…" Coby moaned. The past two years stuck on Alvida's crew had been hard of him, due to living in constant fear of death.

"So why do you just run already?" Randy asked. "This seems like a good time to do so."

"I can't! I can't! I just can't!" Coby yelped in fear. "The thought of Alvida-sama finding me scares me and makes my knees weak…"

"Wow, you're a real wimp," Randy laughed, "I can't stand spineless guys like you." Coby could only cry tears at Randy's cutting comments.

"Yeah… that's right…" Coby said as he looked at the floor, "Maybe if I had courage like you… You're brave enough to just drift around in the ocean in a barrel. …there's actually something I want to do. Randy-san, why're you out at sea?"

"Well, I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Randy said as he grinned at Coby.

"K-K-King of the Pirates?" Coby asked, his jaw slacked enough to fit a small ham inside his mouth.

"That's right," Randy added without missing a beat.

"Are you serious!?" Coby continued.

"Yep," Randy resumed.

"Wait, you're a pirate, Randy-san!?" Coby finally pieced together.

"Took ya long enough," Randy joked.

"What about your crew!?" Coby inquired.

"Don't have one yet, I'm just starting to look for them," Randy answered. Coby froze for a moment and Randy snapped his fingers a few times to make sure Coby was still aware.

"K-K-King of the Pirates is the title given to the person who obtains everything in this world!" Coby stated. "That means you're looking for the greatest treasure in the world… The One Piece!"

"You got it!" Randy simply added.

"Got it!? Pirates all over the world are after that treasure!" Coby established. "Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible! Absolutely impossible! There's no way you can do stand at the apex of this Great Pirate era! Impossible, impossible!" Coby was quickly cut off from his ramblings by Randy rapping his fist on the back of his head and knocking him to the ground. "Why did you hit me?"

"Felt like it," Randy replied. "And you were starting to panic."

"It's fine, I'm used to it by now," Coby said as he rubbed the spot Randy hit him.

"Besides, it's not about whether or not I can become the Pirate King," Randy said as Coby looked at him in surprise. "I'm gonna do it because it's my dream." Randy took off his hat and looked at it. "I've already decided that I'm going to be the King of the Pirates. So if I die fighting for my dream, I'll be fine with that!"

Coby couldn't believe his ears. Randy was willing to die on his way to achieving his dream. And yet here he was, a sniveling coward who couldn't even take the first step to achieving his own…

"All right, stomach's full, so let's go find a boat," Randy said as he walked off, placing his straw hat on his head again. "Maybe I'll get a hand if I ask the Captain of this ship."

"I never once thought about it…" Coby said to no one in particular as Randy stopped his walking. "Do you suppose I can do it, too? If I'm prepared to die for it?"

"Do what?" Randy asked in curiosity.

"Do you think… a guy like me could join the Marines?" Coby asked.

"You want to join the Marines?" Randy echoed. Coby shot up off his self-pitying position on the ground and looked at Randy with an unseen-until-then determination.

"Yes! Catching bad guys is my dream!" Coby answered. "It's been my dream ever since I was little! Do you think I can do it!?"

"Why does that matter?" Randy asked as he looked at Coby. "If you don't do it, my opinion won't matter."

"No, I'll do it!" Coby declared. "If I'm gonna be a chore boy for the rest of my life, then I'll break out of here and catch even Alvida-sama… No, Alvida!" However, the ceiling quickly broke and with it, Coby's newfound confidence as a voice boomed out from the rubble and dust.

"You're going to catch WHO, Coby?" Alvida questioned as Coby cowered in the corner. Even as a few sabers pierced the wooden wall behind Randy, he didn't flinch. Alvida looked the skinny youth up as she tried to identify him. "You don't seem to be the Pirate Hunter, Zoro."

"Nope, not me," Randy replied simply.

"Coby! Who's the most beautiful on all of these seas?" Alvida asked once again.

"O-Of course that would be…" Coby stammered out as he tried to placate Alvida.

"It ain't you, lady," Randy interrupted, "But then again, I'm not a chubby chaser." You could hear a pin drop as everyone else was shocked at Randy's choice of words.

"He… he called her 'Chubby'?" one of Alvida's men asked in fear.

"Oh crap…" the other said as tic-marks broke out on Alvida's face from the near-aneurism she was having.

"YOU BRAT!" Alvida roared as she brought her Iron Mace down to smash Randy. However, Randy easily leapt aside and landed by Coby.

"Time to go!" Randy cheered as he grabbed Coby's hand and leapt again into the air, landing on the deck of the passenger ship.

"Why, you…" one of Alvida's men growled as he tried to slash Randy's head off.

" **Kami-E,"** Randy muttered as he leaned back and let the sword swing whiff. Coby couldn't believe what he was seeing: Randy was bending at a 90-degree angle from the waist with his feet firmly planted on the ground. Randy chuckled as he moved into a one-handed handstand, his free hand holding onto his straw hat as his legs left the ground, delivering a swift kick to his attacker's head. As the next one tried to cut him in half vertically, Randy spun around and drove his elbow into the pirate's face. A sickening crunch was heard as the pirate lost consciousness and dropped his sword.

However, a group of four tried to slice up the straw-hat clad boy, making him jump out of their reach. Coby couldn't believe it as Randy landed a bit away and began stretching like he was warming up. Another of Alvida's crew tried to leap down and cut him in two, but Randy seemed to… smile, as he slid to the side and grabbed his would-be murderer's head.

"That's not very sporting to attack someone from behind," Randy said as he threw the pirate into the group of four and knocked them all to the deck. "Oh, so there's more?" Randy turned around and looked at the large crowd of pirates all giving him death glares. "Welp… I'm in trouble."

Coby was outright dumbfounded as Randy turned tail and ran away in a panic. "Hey, it's not fair to gang up on one guy like this!" Randy objected as the pirates chased after him. However, much to their surprise, he vanished for a second before swinging around a broken mast and facing the group. "Gotcha!" He vaulted into the air before straightening his legs. **"Hard Air BALLISTA!"** If Coby's jaw could go any further, it did. Randy somehow launched out of the air, and blasted through the crowd of pirates with fists forward.

"WHAT!?" Alvida roared as Randy landed on the deck and skidded to a stop. Coby could only gargle in shock.

"R-Randy-san… how did you do that?" Coby asked.

"Trade secret, Coby," Randy replied as he punched his own palm. "You might find out some day."

"I don't care what kind of secret it is," Alvida growled, causing Coby to scramble behind Randy in fear. "But it sure seems like you've eaten a Devil Fruit."

"Well, if I have, then half the fun is figuring out which one I ate~" Randy teased in a sing-song voice. "But Devil Fruit or not, you're not gonna beat me."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," Alvida continued. "You also seem pretty skilled. You a bounty hunter, kid?"

"Nope, I'm a pirate," Randy replied.

"A pirate? Hah!" Alvida bellowed. "And you're all alone?"

"Yeah, I'm alone for now, but I'm gonna find my crew soon enough," Randy replied confidently. "I've already got about how many crewmates I want in mind."

"Well, you're not much of a pirate," Alvida commented, "But I guess that means you and I are enemies, then."

"Randy-san! Let's get out of here!" Coby begged.

"Why should we?" Randy asked.

"You saw how powerful that club was!" Coby retorted. "In this sea, she's the most…"

 **-Flashback-**

" _Besides, it's not about whether or not I can become the Pirate King," Randy said as Coby looked at him in surprise. "I'm gonna do it because it's my dream." Randy took off his hat and looked at it. "I've already decided that I'm going to be the King of the Pirates. So if I die fighting for my dream, I'll be fine with that!"_

 **-Flashback Over-**

" _Randy-san is still willing to die for his dream,"_ Coby mused. _"And maybe… here and now…"_

"I'm the most what?" Alvida asked as she grinned at Coby.

"The… the… THE FATTEST HAG I'VE EVER MET!" Coby roared at his tormentor of the past two years. Alvida's crew was stunned into silence as Alvida's rage came to a boil. However, all Randy did was laugh.

"What did you say!?" Alvida seethed as veins popped all over her face.

"I'm going to join the Marines!" Coby continued as Randy only kept laughing. "And then I'm going to defeat pirates like you!"

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Alvida asked her grip on her Iron Mace tightening.

"Of course I do!" Coby retorted, "I'm going to make my dream real! I'm gonna… I'm gonna join the Marines… And catch your lousy ass!"

"You damn pipsqueak!" Alvida roared as Randy finally stopped laughing. Coby could only shake in fear as she pulled her Iron Mace back to try to flatten Coby's skull.

" _No regrets! No regrets! I said it! I fought for my dream!"_ Coby resolved himself as he could only scream in terror and cry at his inevitable doom.

"Well said, Coby!" Randy said as he pushed the pink-haired boy back and stood between him and Alvida's warpath. Alvida brought her club down on Randy's head and Coby was stunned in fear of his new friend's fate.

" **Tekkai,"** Randy said as Alvida looked at him in shock.

"WHAT!? How are you still… MY IRON MACE!" Alvida practically jumped two feet in the air as she saw her prized Iron Mace had been dented and the spikes flattened where she'd hit the straw hat-clad boy. Randy grinned as he swatted the Iron Mace up and aside, not even struggling as Alvida pressed it down on him.

" **HARD AIR…"** Randy dropped into a fighting stance and drew back his right hand for a solid punch, **"PISTOL!"** Alvida only had long enough to process Randy's fist vanishing as she felt a strong blow hit her in the stomach. Coby and Alvida's crew could only gape in shock as Alvida went flying and a gust of wind burst from where she'd been.

"Now then…" Randy addressed Alvida's crew, causing them to jump a bit. "Coby needs a small boat. It's about time he was able to fulfill his dream and join the Navy. And I don't want to hear a word outta your mouths against that, GOT IT?"

"YES SIR!" they all yelled as the crew scrambled to get one of their dinghies ready.

"Randy-san…" Coby said in relief. That relief didn't last long due to the crashing of cannon fire into the water, courtesy of the incoming Marine ships.

"It's the Marines!" Coby realized.

"Welp, we should get going before they see you here," Randy commented, "They won't take kindly to someone they think is a pirate joining the Marines."

"Randy-san, the boat's ready!" one of the pirates signaled.

"For one, keep it down," Randy ordered, "And two, thank you." Coby yelped as Randy grabbed him and jumped for the dinghy. As the dinghy hit the water, Randy caught sight of a certain orange-haired thief in another dinghy. He gave her a brief wave before another cannonball hit the water and they quickly moved their separate ways.

"Looks like we managed to get away from them," Coby sighed in relief as he checked the horizon for Marines.

"Man, that was a pretty fun workout!" Randy laughed as he reclined in the dinghy.

"Uh, Randy-san… you said you're going after the One Piece… So that means you're going to the Grand Line, right?" Coby asked.

"I kinda have to if I want to be the Pirate King," Randy pointed out.

"That place is also called a pirate graveyard, you know," Coby also pointed out.

"Yeah, that's why I need a strong crew and a bigger ship," Randy stated. "You guys kept talking about some guy called Zoro. He's a pirate hunter… I wonder what he's like."

"Zoro… I heard he was being held prisoner at a Marine Base," Coby revealed.

"How'd a guy like him get captured by the Marines?" Randy asked.

"I don't know, but he's supposed to be a demon!" Coby yelped in fear. "But why do you want to know so much about him?"

"Well, he sounds like the kind of guy I'd want to have on my crew, to be honest," Randy replied, folding his arms behind his head. "But I'll have to see what kinda personality he has first." Coby could only look at Randy in shock, a face he was quickly getting used to repeating around the straw hat-clad pirate.

"How reckless can you be!?" Coby demanded to know from whatever deities could answer his question.

"I'm not being reckless, I'm being optimistic!" Randy retorted, "Just because he's in jail doesn't mean he's pure evil."

"But he's in jail! How can he NOT be evil!?" Coby countered. "No! It's impossible, impossible! Absolutely impossi…" Randy swiftly clocked Coby over the head to shut him up again. "Why did you hit me?"

"Felt like it," Randy replied. _"Zoro… wait just a bit longer, I'll lead you to your dream soon enough…"_

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks for reading this far! And this portion will be review responses! I'll try to do as many as I can as the project continues!**_

 **Randy: You better.**

 _ **A/N: What the?! How'd you get here?**_

 **Randy: Do you really need the answer to that?  
**

 _ **A/N: Good point. So anyway, onto the responses!**_

 _ **To DarkLord98:**_

 _ **Yes, erasing Luffy was a hard choice. Like I said, this started as a project for me, and it wasn't meant to be a public story. That said, you've inspired me a bit more, and I promise you that I'll be doing something about that.**_

 _ **As for what Devil Fruit I've given Randy, that isn't quite it. I'll explain more as the story goes on, but unlike most Devil Fruit Users, Randy's gonna keep his a secret for a while. And for good reason.**_

 **Randy: And don't you forget it.**

 _ **As for skipping over Ace and Sabo, I wrote this going off the timeline presented by the anime and manga, so I'll be dropping bits of that here and there, as well as addressing everything eventually.**_

 **Randy: Optimism can breathe for a bit, we're not gonna Old Yeller yet.  
**

 _ **To tamagat:**_

 _ **I won't say what it is, but there's some evidence at the moment it's NOT a Logia Devil Fruit.**_

 **Randy: 'Nuff said.  
**

 _ **To anaisonfire:**_

 _ **Thanks for the support!**_

 _ **To the anonymous guest:**_

 _ **Your opinion is fair and accurate.**_

 **Randy: No matter how much it wounds this slacker.  
**

 _ **HEY! ...erm, anyway, you're right, but I also feel like some stories are altered by future events and such that the writers didn't know when starting their stories. Granted, I have no right to argue here...**_

 **Randy: You should see his unpublished stuff.  
**

 _ **Would you quit it! Just because I'm a font of inspiration and ideas doesn't... ARGH!**_

 _ **Anyway, that's it for now! Please rate, review, and follow if you want to stay tuned!**_

 **Randy: Who knows? You might inspire this slacker to do more.  
**

 _ **Remind me why I made you again?**_

 **Randy: Escapism.  
**

 _ **Right. Next time on Broken Locks, we approach the first major event in Randy's journey: Recruiting his first crew member!**_


	3. Chapter 3

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Ability or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"  
**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3: Pirate Hunter Zoro_**

* * *

It didn't take us too long to get to Shell Island. Between Coby's good navigational skills, and my moderate ones, it was an easy trip, aside from the fact I was starving.

"Man, finally! Land at last," I commented as I rubbed my stomach, "Feels like it's taken forever to get here."

"Randy, we would have been here a bit sooner if you hadn't slipped up on the navigation," Coby pointed out. "If you're going to the Grand Line, you'll need a great navigator."

"Eh, I'll get to that eventually," I said, brushing the suggestion and slight insult off as we made our way into the island and began passing through the local marketplace.

"Randy-san, you can't be serious!" Coby whined, "You're crazy if you want him to join!"

"Wow, I thought I hid that well, Coby," I joked, "Besides, haven't you heard the saying 'Don't judge a book by its cover'? Just because Zoro's SAID to be a bad guy doesn't mean he is one. I'll make that call for myself, once we see him."

"But he IS a bad guy! He's in jail!" Coby snapped. I ignored his weak, but reasonable argument as I picked out a fresh pear from one of the vendors.

"Delicious!" I said after giving it a bite and paying for my snack. "By the way, do you know if Roronoa Zoro's at the Marine Base here?" To Coby's surprise, but not mine, the people around us backed off in an instant.

"Looks like Zoro's name is kinda taboo here," Coby whispered to me as he noted the fear on the people's faces.

"Well, we have to go to the base anyway for you, right?" I asked. "You still want to be a Marine, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm not sure if I'm ready yet…" Coby returned meekly. "I've heard that this Marine Base is run by Captain Morgan, and…" Once again, the people of the island backed off in fear at the mention of Morgan's name, shocking Coby and making me frown a bit.

"Seems like the people are just as scared of the Marine Captain as they are the Pirate Hunter…" I surmised as Coby looked utterly confused.

"That's weird… I understand why they're afraid of Zoro, but why are they afraid of a Marine Captain's name?" Coby pondered in confusion. "Suddenly I've got a bad feeling about this…"

"Coby, there's a lot of greys in this world of ours," I stated, "Nothing is ever just black and white."

"What do you mean, Randy-san?" Coby inquired.

"The way you see things, there's good people that do good things for good reasons, and bad people that do bad things for bad reasons," I continued as we continued to walk. "But there's also good people that do bad things for good reasons, and good people that do good things for bad reasons. Likewise, there's bad people that do bad things for good reasons, and bad people that do good things for bad reasons."

"What do you mean, Randy-san?" Coby asked.

"Alright, lemme make an example," I sighed, "Say you have two thieves. Both of them steal a large amount of food. Which one is more evil?"

"Well… aren't they both as evil as the other?" Coby asked.

"You don't know that for certain," I continued, "Alright, let's say one man stole the food so he could resell it for a profit. The other stole it because his family was starving and he can't pay bills or taxes. Now who's the eviler of the two?"

"The one who stole the food to resell it," Coby replied.

"And you only learned that because I told you so," I replied. "And you believed me without a doubt. What if I had been lying to you, and both of them wanted to feed their families?"

"I… I think I get your point, Randy-san," Coby acquitted. "There's more to things than meets the eye."

"And if you want to be a great Marine, you'll need to follow your gut and find the truth, not just blindly follow orders or judge people immediately," I revealed. "Oh, we're here already."

Before us stood the massive blue-camouflage tower that was the Marine Base of Shells Island. The only way in easily was the massive metal gate on the stone wall around the courtyard.

"I'm finally here…" Coby said wistfully as he teared up in joy. "I guess this is where we part ways, Randy-san…" Coby wiped his tears away with his arm. "It was only for a short time, but I'm really glad to…"

"Alright, let's see where Zoro is," I said as I rested my arms on top of the wall.

"Randy-san, what in the world are you doing!?" Coby yelped in surprise. "Get down from there, someone will see you!"

"There he is, and it looks like he's a bit tied up at the moment," I observed.

"Eh?" Coby asked, his curiosity piqued. He followed me as I ran around the wall to another side. "But shouldn't Zoro be in a prison cell or something?"

"Nope, he's been left to hang out to dry," I commented as Coby joined me in looking over the wall.

" _A black bandanna and a haramaki… that's really Roronoa Zoro…"_ Coby thought, astounded and fearful of the rumored bloodthirsty pirate hunter. But as he was tied to the wooden cross in the middle of the empty yard, he seemed so… powerless.

"Maybe I should untie him, he looks uncomfortable," I sarcastically commented.

"DON'T BE STUPID!" Coby snapped, his teeth sharpening comedically. "There's no telling what will happen if we let him loose! He'd probably try to kill you too, Randy-san!"

"Nah, I'm probably stronger than he is right now," I replied causing Coby to face-fault a bit.

"Hey… you guys," a voice said catching our attention; Zoro was calling out to us. "You're an eyesore. Get lost."

Coby started freaking out at Zoro's words, while I merely locked eyes with him. "Randy-san, there's no way you'll be able to survive having HIM on your crew!" Coby panicked as a ladder was placed against the wall. Much to our surprise, a young brown-haired girl shushed us and lowered a rope over the wall. She quickly climbed down it and walked over to Zoro with a small package clutched to her chest. "This is bad! Randy-san, stop her! She'll be killed!"

"Not on my watch," I replied, making sure to watch Rika. "Besides, even if he tries to, he won't reach her in time."

"Eh?" Coby asked as the girl looked at the pirate hunter.

"What?" Zoro asked as he glared at Rika.

"I thought you might be hungry," she replied, "So I made you some onigiri!"

"You wanna get killed, brat? Scram!" Zoro threatened as she unwrapped the rice balls.

"You haven't eaten anything this whole time," Rika continued, unafraid of Zoro. "Here! This is the first time, but I worked really hard to make them!" Zoro faltered for a moment before resuming his tough façade.

"I'm not hungry!" he barked. "You're an eyesore! Get the hell out of here!"

"But…" the girl said, looking confused.

"I don't want 'em! Don't make me kick your ass!" Zoro threatened.

"My my, bullying little girls?" a rather pompous voice chimed in as the gate for the yard opened. "You seem surprisingly well, Roronoa Zoro." A young man in a purple suit with blond mushroom cap-like hair walked in, with two Marines accompanying him.

"That guy looks weird," I commented as I looked at Helmeppo, "And I don't like the attitude in his voice."

"Thank goodness! He must be with the Marines!" Coby realized. "Now that girl will be safe!"

"Oh? These onigiri look pretty tasty!" Helmeppo said before he swiped one of the rice balls and ate it.

"Hey!" the girl snapped as Helmeppo chewed on the rice balls for a moment before spitting some out.

"That's too sweet!" he yelled. "They're full of sugar! You're supposed to use salt when making onigiri!"

"But I thought they'd taste better sweet…" Rika replied innocently. Helmeppo rudely slapped the other rice ball off the wrapping and stomped it into the dirt. "Stop! Stop!"

"That's horrible!" Coby commented.

"I told you, Coby," I added, "Never judge a book by its cover."

"I worked so hard to make those…" Rika said, on the verge of tears as she knelt on the ground, looking at her ruined work.

"Can't you read kid?" Helmeppo asked as he pulled out a piece of paper from his suit jacket. "'Those who help criminals will be executed. –Marine Captain Morgan'." Rika immediately froze up as she realized she might die, and he only chuckled smugly. "Looks like even brats know how scary my daddy is."

"So he's Captain Morgan's son," I summarized.

"You," Helmeppo said as he jerked his thumb at one of his Marine entourage, "Throw her over the wall."

"Sir?!" the Marine asked in shock.

"I said throw her over the wall!" Helmeppo ordered as he grabbed the Marine by his shirt. "Or can't you follow orders? I'll tell my daddy that you're not doing just that!"

"Y-Yes sir! Right away!" the Marine agreed as he walked over to Rika. I watched as he threw her over the wall, Rika curling up into a ball. Coby barely had time to notice when I leapt off the wall and caught her far before she and I hit the ground.

"Thanks…" Rika said as I set her down.

"Are you alright, Randy-san?" Coby asked as he ran over to check on us. "Are you alright? I can't believe how horrible that guy is! You're not hurt, are you?"

It didn't take too much longer for us to get through the rest of Helmeppo threatening Zoro and taunting him with getting through the remaining ten days of the month he promised to stay strung up. After he left, I leaped back over the wall and walked up to Zoro.

"So rumors say you're a bad guy," I commented. "Funny, you seem like a saint compared to that jackass."

"You're still here?" Zoro asked.

"Funny, like this, you hardly seem like the demon you're rumored to be," I added.

"Shut up! Mind your own business!" Zoro snapped as I walked over.

"I'm making this my business," I said as I looked at him. "One month? Man, I probably would have starved in three days. Less without water."

"Well, I've got more spirit than you," Zoro snidely added. "I _will_ live through this… I swear it!"

"Well, if you're so dedicated, I'll just be off now," I said.

"Hang on a second!" Zoro spoke up. "Could you pick that up for me?"

"You mean this?" I asked as I picked up the remains of Rika's rice ball. "It's more of a mud ball now…"

"Just shut up and give it here!" Zoro ordered.

"Alright, just lemme dust this off for you," I replied, confusing Zoro a bit. His eyes widened as I blew on the rice and the dust and dirt just flew off, leaving only a slightly smushed rice ball remaining. "There we go, almost good as new. Eat up, man." I tossed the rice to Zoro and he chomped down on it eagerly.

" _Not even a spec of dirt? What did that guy do?"_ Zoro mused as he ate for the first time in a while. "It was good. Tell that girl thanks for me, will ya?"

-X-

"Really? He said he liked it?" Rika asked.

"Yep, he ate every last grain," I said.

"I'm so glad!" Rika said with a smile.

"Is Zoro really a demon like all those rumors say?" Coby mused aloud.

"Don't say that!" Rika snapped. "After all, he's strung up in place of us…"

"Why don't you tell us what happened?" I asked.

"It's all that Helmeppo's fault…" Rika said as she explained what was going on.

-X-

"So Zoro stood up to Helmeppo and then took the blame so you and your mom wouldn't get in trouble," I summarized after hearing the tale.

"That's right, he's been like that for the past three weeks," Rika continued, "Helmeppo just keeps kicking him and punching him while he's tied up!"

"I see…" Coby mused before we heard a crash from inside Rika's mom's tavern. We walked back into Helmeppo being served a drink.

"I've been getting kinda bored lately," he bragged, "so I've decided I'm gonna execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it!"

As Helmeppo laughed, I weighed my options carefully, and then threw those out the window as I ran over and gave him a good slug to the face, sending the wimpy jackass sprawling into the nearest wall.

"W-What the hell're you doing?!" Helmeppo shrieked as he held his forming bruise.

"Randy-san! Stop this!" Coby said as he struggled to hold me back.

"I don't care! This jackass is scum!" I roared.

"Y-You hit me!" Helmeppo whined. "I'm Captain Morgan's son, y'know!"

"I don't give two shits about whose son you are!" I roared as I let Coby hold me back a bit.

"You'll care when he executes you after I tell him!" Helmeppo threatened.

"Well, execute me yourself if you want me dead then!" I threatened right back, giving Helmeppo a death glare worthy of Zoro himself.

"Randy-san, calm down!" Coby tried to reason, "Do you want to get on the Marine's bad side?!"

"Coby, I've made up my mind," I resolved, "I'm going to have Zoro join my crew!" And with that, Helmeppo ran like a scared puppy off to tell his daddy about what I did.

"That was so cool, mister!" Rika replied.

"Kinda was, but you don't want to be around me too much," I replied. "Don't want the Marines to think you're helping me."

"Rika get back!" Rika's mother came over and took Rika a bit further away from Coby and I. "…thank you."

"Alright, I'm off for the Marine Base again," I said, walking out of the tavern with Coby hot on my tail.

"Wait for me, Randy-San!" he said as we made our way back.

-X-

I caught Zoro as he was daydreaming about Kuina and his past, and he finally managed to notice me.

"You again? You must have a lot of free time," Zoro quipped.

"Free time is nice, but I'm here so you'll join my crew," I replied, getting a shocked reaction from Zoro.

"Say what?" Zoro asked.

"I'm looking for people to join my pirate crew, and I've decided you're gonna be the first mate," I continued, pointing at the pirate hunter.

"Forget it!" Zoro snapped. "I'll never stoop to the level of a pirate!"

"Look, I'm not looking to become a bloodthirsty pirate, and people say you're a bloodthirsty pirate hunter," I continued, laying my hands behind my head.

"People can say what they want about me, I don't care," Zoro returned, "But I've never done anything I'll regret. I _will_ live through this and I _will_ accomplish my goal!"

"I can tell you're a proud man," I returned, grinning devilishly, "But a swordsman's pride are his swords, am I wrong?"

"Bastard…" Zoro growled at me. "That stupid son took them from me when I was arrested."

"Then I'll go get them back for you," I stated.

"What?" Zoro asked, confused.

"But if you want them back, you'll have to join my crew," I snidely added.

"You're getting on my nerves!" Zoro yelled at me.

"Just hang on for a little longer," I replied, much to Zoro's confusion. "I'll be back with your swords before you know it." I didn't look, but I could feel Zoro looking at me as I walked towards the Marine Base.

-X-

"Okay… so I could be stealthy and totally avoid all the trouble that Luffy went through," I said as I looked up towards the top of the Marine Base. "But I really want to take care of that eyesore."

I heard the sound of stone on what I was guessing the top of the Marine base and knew what was about to happen. "Aw hell, let's go all in. **Hard Air Ballista!** " I leaped up to the closest railing, and then launched myself into the air using both my arms and legs.

"Shit, too hard, too hard!" I sailed up just as Morgan was about to cleave one of his men in twain, managing to grab one of the ropes holding up the statue. The looks on Morgan's face and the faces of everyone else present were priceless as the top half of the statue snapped in half and then smashed to rubble on the ground below. "Sorry 'bout that…" _"Not really, that thing is a symbol of that jackass's ego."_

"SEIZE HIM!" Morgan ordered. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Sir, yes sir!" the Marines replied.

"Daddy, that's him!" Helmeppo pointed out. "That's the man who hit me!"

"There you are!" I said as I walked right up to Helmeppo, causing him to yelp back in surprise. "You're coming with me. I need you to show me something."

"Let me go!" Helmeppo ordered as I ran off downstairs with him in my clutches.

"Where did you put Zoro's swords?" I asked as I dragged Helmeppo along the ground of a hallway.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Just stop dragging me!" Helmeppo begged as I finally stopped running.

"Alright, talk," I ordered.

"In my room… We just passed it…" Helmeppo revealed as he weakly pointed behind me.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?" I asked. "That would have saved us both a lot of trouble."

"Freeze!" one of the Marines said as he and two others leveled rifles at me. "Let Helmeppo-sama go!"

"Nah, I don't think so," I said as I held up Helmeppo as a human shield. "You may fire when ready."

"DON'T SHOOT! DON'T SHOOT!" Helmeppo whined as I used him to bash through the three Marines. With them unconscious, it was easy to find Helmeppo's room.

"Damn, this is your room?" I asked as I looked around. "This thing has more flowers than a garden! And all this pink!" I easily noticed the three out-of-place katana laying against a wall. "Alright, I think we're done here, thanks for the help."

I only just noticed that Helmeppo had passed out. "Man, this guy's a wimp, he passed out from fear?" I dropped him like a sack of potatoes and then grabbed the three swords, looking out the window in the corner of my eye. "Shit, Coby!" I cursed as I saw Coby and Zoro at the wrong of the firing squad. I hastily grabbed a kunai from my leg pouch and cut a piece of cloth to make a makeshift sling for Zoro's swords before backing up to the window's edge.

" **Hard Air Ballista!"** I rocketed out of the window, shattering the glass as I sailed down towards the execution yard. I barely registered Zoro and Coby flinching as I landed in between them and the bullets.

" **TEKKAI!"** I roared as I spread my arms out to intercept the bullets.

"What are you?!" Zoro said in shock as he saw me get shot.

"Randy-san!" Coby yelled in panic.

"Straw Hat!" Morgan rumbled as I grinned.

"Bullets won't work on me," I laughed as both the Marines and my friends behind me bugged out as they saw the bullets falling to the ground, many bent flat on one side. I leaned down and picked one up, before flicking it at the air beside Morgan's head. "I think this belongs to you."

Morgan's eyes were wide at what he just saw. A man had just stopped a squad's worth of bullets and then just flicked one back at him just as fast. _"This brat… what kind of monster is he?"_

"Who the hell are you?!" Zoro asked as Coby sat on his butt having fallen back from the shock of thinking I got shot.

"I'm Monkey D. Randy!" I eagerly answered as I spun the kunai by its ring-shaped pommel. "The man who's gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

* * *

 ** _A/N: Thanks for waiting! Work's been a b*tch and I've been trying to deal with other real world problems too._**

 **Randy: You better get your act together, or we're both screwed.  
**

 _ **A/N: Hey! Well... he's not wrong, anyway, onto the review responses!**_

 _ **To ainaisonfire:**_

 _ **Well, you got a little taste of it here! We'll wrap up next time!**_

 **Randy: I'm just glad nothing's changed too far right now.**

 _ **To TheMysteriousOtaku:**_

 _ **Well, you're half right. You figured out that Randy's Devil Fruit is a Paramecia. I did kinda hint to that in Chapter 1 with Randy's inner monologue.**_

 **Randy: But it's not air-related, we can tell you that. We've already established that in the last reviews.  
**

 _ **To s:**_

 _ **Um, thanks, I guess? Well, I mean, this kinda story would have happened eventually.**_

 **Randy: Hey, if you're gonna write, keep doing it and you can get better.  
**

 _ **To anquan:**_

 _ **When we'll reveal the Devil Fruit, that's still cemented in my mind. It'll take a bit, but we'll get there.**_

 _ **And yes, Randy DOES know the Six Powers, as demonstrated in this chapter!**_

 **Randy: I'm a badass, cause I gotta be.  
**

 _ **He's right. Randy's been using what he knows to his advantage, at least in doing what he could until he left for his journey to start. And part of that is knowing how the Six Powers work. As for how he learned the EXACT details, and what all he can do, that's for another time.**_

 **Randy: You tease.  
**

 _ **Anyway, thanks for reading, and please rate, review, and follow if you want to see more**_

 **Randy: If you do, the author might feel like he can do more in his free time. Aside from binging on youtube and playing video games.  
**

 _ **Hey! I'm not playing video games! Dragon Quest 7 won't be out for another two weeks!**_

 **Randy: Then use those two weeks to work, dingus!**

 _ **Ugh... anyway, next time on Broken Locks, Randy looks to kick Morgan's butt and set out with Zoro!**_


	4. Chapter 4

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Ability or Technique"**

 _ _ **"Author's Notes"**__

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4: Morgan vs. Randy!_**

* * *

"Who the hell are you?!" Zoro asked as Coby sat on his butt having fallen back from the shock of thinking I got shot.

"I'm Monkey D. Randy!" I eagerly answered as I spun the kunai by its ring-shaped pommel. "The man who's gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

"Wh-what?! The King of the Pirates?" Zoro asked as he stared at me in shock. "Do you even know what that means?!"

"King of the Pirates means the most powerful man on the seas with the most freedom, the one who claims Gold Roger's treasure," I stated matter-of-factly. "And that's my dream."

"I was shocked too!" Coby added as the Marines looked on in surprise. "But Randy-san is serious! That's just how he is! He intends to become the King of the Pirates and obtain this world's greatest treasure… the One Piece!"

I laughed as I threw the kunai I was holding into the ground and undid the makeshift sling holding Zoro's swords. "I believe at least one of these are yours," I said as I held out all three of the katana. "I didn't know which one was yours, so I just brought all three."

"All three _are_ mine," Zoro revealed. "I practice _Santoryu_ , a three-sword style."

"So, what's it gonna be, Zoro?" I asked as I held the blades towards him, just out of his tied reach. "Are you gonna fight with me and defy the World Government, and become a criminal? Or are you just going to sit here and die at the hands of a corrupt Marine Captain and his men?"

"What are you, the devil's son?" Zoro asked in a smug sarcasm. "Well, whatever. I'll join your pirate crew if my only other option is dying here!"

"Glad to hear it, now let's get you outta those ropes," I said as I picked up the kunai again. "Hold still, I'm not a swordsman." Zoro flinched at those words as I slowly began cutting away at the ropes around his waist.

"What… is he?" one the on-looking Marines asked as Zoro's waist was freed.

"That guy is bulletproof! He's a monster!" another added.

"He's no ordinary human, that Straw Hat…" Morgan mused aloud, "He must have eaten one of the fabled Devil Fruit."

"Devil Fruit?" another Marine asked. "The hidden treasure of the seas?"

"The Devil Fruits…" Morgan continued, "Whoever eats one is said to gain seemingly unworldly abilities. The power to breath fire… the power to cause tsunamis… There are all sorts of rumors, but there are many types and not much is known about them. It's said the secrets to them lie on the Grand Line… But there's no question that Straw Hat just displayed a Devil Fruit Power!"

"Actually, I didn't," I replied much to the Marines' shock. "I just did a lot of training, and that's part of the fruits of my labor." I smiled as I cut Zoro's arms free at last. "However, I will tell you I _did_ eat a Devil Fruit. I just don't want to use it."

"It doesn't matter if you use it or not," Morgan roared, "Anyone who opposes me will be executed! If bullets won't work on him, then use your swords!"

"Speaking of swords, I believe these are yours," I said calmly as I handed Zoro his katana. "Here you go."

"Much obliged," Zoro said as he swiftly unsheathed the three, placing the white-decorated blade in his mouth. As the Marines tried to cut us down, Zoro quickly moved in under them all and blocked every single blade using his own.

"Roronoa Zoro!" Morgan said as he looked at Zoro's skill.

"Now _that_ is awesome!" I cheered as I looked on as well.

"Move and you're dead," Zoro threatened, much to the panicking Marines' displeasure. "I'll join your pirate crew, as I promised. I'm officially a criminal, now that I've crossed blades with the Marines. But I'll tell you this right now: I'm going to fulfill my ambition!"

"What's that?" I asked, as if I didn't already know.

"I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman!" Zoro declared. "If this pirate thing stops that in any way, I'll make sure you pay for it!"

"The World's Greatest Swordsman, eh?" I echoed cheerfully. "Only the best for the King of the Pirates."

"You sure talk big," Zoro retorted, "I don't care if I'm famous or infamous, I _will_ make my name world-known!"

"What are you standing around for?!" Morgan demanded. "Slaughter them this instant!"

"Let's make this showy! Zoro, duck!" I said as I wound my leg back. **"Hard Air WHIP!"** The speed I whipped my leg around created a bar of solid air that followed my leg's path and knocked away all the Marines Zoro was holding back.

"That's amazing! You did it!" Coby cheered.

"What the hell are you?" Zoro asked. "Was that your Devil Fruit?"

"Nope, but it did help me get that down," I replied as I let my leg hang a bit as I stood on one leg. "That's all just more of my training."

"He just commanded the wind!" one Marine observed.

"So, the Byuu-Byuui no Mi then?" Morgan guessed. "Or some other kind of wind-based power?"

"Wrong!" I answered, crossing my arms in an X-shape. "But thanks for trying, you'll get a consolation prize for participating!"

"Captain! We don't stand a chance against them!" another Marine realized. "These guys are crazy! We can't even handle Zoro by himself!"

"This is a direct order!" Morgan said, his upper face shadowed over. "All those who just spouted weakness now must shoot themselves in the head! I have no need for spineless soldiers!"

"These guys are mental!" Zoro commented as he saw the Marines shuddering in fear from the decision over obeying or disobeying the order.

"Randy-san!" Coby said as I charged towards Morgan with one thing on my mind. "Crush this Marine Base!" I easily weaved my way through the crowd of Marines and threw a hard punch at Morgan. He was quick enough to see it coming and blocked with the flat of his axe-hand.

"No-rank, low-status bums like you have no right whatsoever to defy me!" Morgan growled as he threw off his coat, revealing the collared vest beneath. "I am Marine Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!"

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Randy," I replied calmly.

"DIE!" Morgan roared as he swung his axe sideways as he tried to cut me in half. It was easy to jump over him, but as I landed, he turned around, grabbing the long handle sticking out where his elbow should have been. With the force of both arms, he swung down at me with enough force to split the ground where I was standing. Was, since I had once again moved out of the way.

"Too slow!" I yelled as I drove my feet into Morgan's metal jaw, sending him rolling.

"T-The Captain!" one Marine observed. "He knocked him down!"

"You runt…" Morgan glowered as I leapt at him again. "DIE!" He grabbed his handle-elbow again and tried to cut down again, but this time I barrel-rolled just to the side of the blow.

"Not today!" I returned as I kicked his jaw again, sending him to the ground once more.

"C-Captain Morgan is being… trounced completely…" the Marines couldn't believe their eyes as they saw their tyrannical captain being tossed around like a toy.

"You call yourself a Marine?" I asked as I picked up Morgan by his vest and punched him. "You've destroyed Coby's dream!"

"Hold it, Straw Hat! Check this out!" Helmeppo ordered. I however ignored him and punched Captain Morgan again. "I said hold it! Are you stupid?!" Helmeppo shrieked as he held a pistol up to Coby's head, his legs and arm shaking worse than Coby's ever did. "I have a hostage here! Pay attention!"

"Helmeppo-sama!" a Marine said in shock.

"Hey," Zoro said, finally drawing my attention away from Morgan.

"If you value this guy's life, don't move!" Helmeppo ordered. "One move and I'll shoot!" Coby could only look at me in fear, but I just gave him a smile.

"Randy-san! I don't want to get in your way!" Coby resolved. "Even if it means dying!"

"I gotcha, Coby. You hear that, you stupid son?" I asked. "Coby doesn't care if you shoot him. But if you do, I'll make sure you pay for it!"

"Don't move!" Helmeppo ordered as I slowly walked towards him. "I told you not to move! I-I'll shoot!"

"Behind you!" Coby warned as I knew Morgan was sneaking up on me.

" **HARD AIR…"** I wound back my punch, knowing I was covered.

"I am Marine Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!" Morgan roared as he drew his axe-hand back to try to cut me down.

"Daddy! Kill him quick!" Helmeppo ordered as he pulled Coby closer.

" **PISTOL!"** I yelled as I jabbed my fist at the air in between me and Helmeppo. The shockwave of my punch hit true and nailed Helmeppo in the face, causing him to drop both his hostage and his weapon as he sailed back towards the Execution Yard wall. Little did I know, Morgan's axe-hand had stopped mere centimeters away from the top of my straw hat. "Nice work, Zoro."

Morgan couldn't even muster a word as he passed out from Zoro's slashes.

"My pleasure, Captain," Zoro replied as he grinned at me.

"Captain Morgan's been beaten!" a Marine observed as Zoro sheathed his three katana. "Unbelievable! These guys are insane!"

"If anyone else wants to catch us, you're welcome to try," Zoro stated as we looked them over. The Marines looked at each other in shock before throwing their weapons and hats up in joy.

"Hurray! We're free!" the Marines all cheered. "Yahoo! Morgan's reign is over! Hurray for the Marines!"

"Pfff, I can guarantee we'll probably never see a Marine squad cheering that their Captain's been beaten ever again," I joked.

"They were all just afraid of Morgan!" Coby realized. Just then, Zoro flinched before he fell back, landing hard on the ground. "What's wrong, Zoro-san?! Are you hurt?!"

"I'm… hungry…" Zoro muttered as I laughed.

"Right, three weeks with barely any food would make anyone hungry!" I chuckled. "Especially after a workout like that!"

-X-

A few hours later, both Zoro and I had eaten our fill, courtesy of Rika's mother. Even Coby had eaten a lot, in spite of himself.

"Man, I'm stuffed!" Zoro said happily as he patted his stomach. "I was definitely at my rope's end, having not eaten for three weeks!"

"I said it before, I probably wouldn't have lasted three days," I joked as I swallowed a cut of steak.

"How the heck do you have a bigger appetite than me?" Zoro asked.

"Eh, it's natural," I replied. "Everyone in my family are big eaters. But Coby knows how much I eat, right Coby?"

"Yeah… thanks for treating me too, by the way…" he thanked sheepishly.

"It's no trouble," Rika's mother said happily. "After all, you saved our town!"

"You're so cool, big brother!" Rika said.

"I know, and I have not yet _begun_ to show how cool I am!" I said after taking a drink from my glass. "And now that I have a crew, I can keep working towards becoming the King of the Pirates!"

"About the crew, how many others are there besides me?" Zoro asked. "You said you were looking for people for a crew, right?"

"I said you're the First Mate, so you're the only one so far," I answered bluntly.

"Really?" Zoro asked, a sweat-drop forming on the back of his head. "But to be the King of the Pirates, you need more people than just me. You can't really call two people a pirate crew."

"Well, I guess that's true…" I acquiesced. "I guess we're more of a pirate duo for now."

"Okay, so what about the ship?" Zoro asked. "Do you at least have a pirate ship?"

"Well, right now I'm making do with that," I said, pointing out the window to the docks. A small dog was taking a leak on the side of the dinghy that Coby and I had used to get to Shells Town.

"That thing?" Zoro asked flatly.

"Hey, don't worry about it, we'll get a bigger ship soon," I said, brushing him off a bit. "And the journey of a thousand steps begins with the first one."

"You seem pretty relaxed about this," Zoro chuckled. "Spouting proverbs like a sage… man, what kinda Captain am I following?"

"The future Pirate King, that's who," I said as I finished my meal.

"Sometimes I think he was born without the ability to plan ahead," Coby commented.

"Hey, I plan ahead just fine," I replied. "This plan's just a long-term one."

"Great…" Zoro grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So where are you guys gonna go now?" Rika asked.

"Well, since we're going to head to the Grand Line, we're gonna need a map of the place," I replied. "Thankfully, I happen to know where we can get one. So we're going there next."

"I hope you're planning on getting more than just two people before you go to the Grand Line, Randy-san…" Coby said as he took a sip of his own drink.

"Is the Grand Line really that bad of a place?" Rika asked.

"Well, let's see… everyday people call it a pirate's graveyard, it's a massive battlefield for pirates and Marines alike, and the weather there can literally change at the tip of a hat," I rattled off, using my fingers to count out. "And that's just the first half!"

"Right, the Grand Line is bisected by the Red Line, the continent that splits our two ocean," Coby revealed. "Only Gold Roger was able to make it to the end after obtaining everything this world has to offer.

"I've heard from patrons that whoever enters the Grand Line never returns…" Rika's mother added.

"Well, that's a lie right there," I said. "Cause the Marines do it all the time. They have their ways, but it wouldn't make much sense if they couldn't, right?"

"I guess that's true," Rika's mother agreed, feeling a bit relieved.

"And besides, the One Piece is there, so we have to go if I'm going to become the Pirate King," I replied.

"I guess it can't be helped," Zoro added.

"Not you too, Zoro-san?!" Coby asked.

"It's not like you're going with us, right?" Zoro countered.

"Well, n-no, but I'm still worried about you!" Coby counter-countered. "Is that so wrong? Randy-san and I haven't known each other for very long, but we _are_ friends!" He then turned to me, looking a little worried. "Right?"

"Of course!" I agreed, practically beaming. "Even if we're miles apart, we'll always be friends!" Coby smiled as he looked at the floor.

"Since I was a little kid, I never had any friends… much less anyone who would fight for my sake…" Coby mused aloud. "But more than anything, I never tried to fight for anything… But you two taught me how to live for my beliefs! I've decided to make my childhood dream come true! I want to join the Marines!"

"Shouldn't you be a bit more worried about yourself, then?" Zoro asked. "Even if you were just a chore boy, you _did_ spend two years on Alvida's Pirate Ship. Don't underestimate the Marine's information-gathering skills. If they find out about that, you'll never get to join the Marines."

"N-Now that you mention it…" Coby stammered, just before the door to the tavern opened.

"Pardon me!" the Marine who entered said. He was wearing a green neckerchief and had a goatee, Lieutenant Colonel Ripper if I remembered correctly. "Is it true that you are Pirates?"

"Well, even if we weren't, we'd still be criminals for fighting the Marines, right?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, that is true," Ripper agreed. "We do appreciate it deeply that you freed our base and this town from that tyrant! However, especially since you are pirates, in the name of the Marines, we cannot stand by quietly! You will leave this town at once! Out of obligation, we will refrain from contacting headquarters."

"Hey, how can you talk like that?!" a bystander argued. "Even you guys were subdued and terrified by Morgan! We owe these people our lives!"

"Nah, it's fine," I replied, smiling. "We are pirates after all, and I don't feel like causing any more trouble for the Marines. Miss, thank you for the food."

"You guys are leaving already?" Rika asked.

"Yeah," I simply replied as I gathered my things and the supplies we bought. Zoro and I started to leave before Ripper spoke up again.

"Aren't you part of their crew?" he asked Coby.

"Eh? I… I'm…" Coby stammered.

"Actually, it's kind of a funny story," I interrupted, drawing both Coby and Ripper's attention. I could see the worry on Coby's face as he turned to look at me. "There was this really fat pirate lady, I think her name was… Arugala? Alhira? Well, regardless, she was ugly as hell! And this guy…" I walked over and started poking Coby's head. "This guy was stuck…"

"SHUT UP!" Coby roared as he punched me in an attempt to shut me up. I stayed on my feet, my hat falling on a nearby table. "I… I…"

"Oh, so that's how it is, you bastard?!" I roared back as I punched Coby. "Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" I kept punching him, at least until Commander Ripper spoke up.

"ENOUGH!" he barked at me. "I won't let you cause any more trouble in this town!"

"Hey, that's far enough, I think he gets it," Zoro said as he grabbed my vest and pulled me away from Coby. "That was going a bit too far, man."

"Hmph, the bastard started it," I grunted as I grabbed my straw hat.

"It's clear you're not friends with him, so leave this town at once!" Ripper ordered.

"Fine, fine," I grumbled as Zoro and I left for the docks.

-X-

"That wasn't a half-bad plan, but you're a lousy actor," Zoro joked.

"Eh, so long as they don't question Coby, I'm fine with it," I replied, grinning back to my First Mate.

"Still, not a bad way to leave town," Zoro commented, "Being unable to turn back because everyone hates you… it's pirate-like!"

"Well, I wouldn't say everyone hates us," I chuckled. "The citizens will never forget us, and deep down, the Marines probably will be grateful. But from here on out, don't expect any welcoming parties."

"Yeah, I get it," Zoro said as I took off the hitch for our boat.

"Randy-san!" Coby yelled, drawing our attention to Coby, who had Rika and her mother with him. "Thank you!" Coby saluted us both. "I'll never forget all you've done for me!"

"I've never heard of a pirate being thanked by a Marine," Zoro mused. "Looks like you were right, Randy."

Zoro and I hopped in the boat and unfurled the sail, embarking on the next leg of our journey.

"Let's meet again sometime, Coby!" I yelled.

"Randy-san…" Coby said, still saluting us.

"Bye!" Rika cheered.

"All hands, _salute!_ " Ripper ordered, as the entire Marine Base saluted us in unison.

"See ya on the Grand Line!" I cheered as we sailed out of sight.

"An entire Marine Platoon saluting us, now _that_ is a fish story," Zoro laughed.

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet, Zoro!" I laughed in turn. "Just you wait, I'll become the King of the Pirates!"

"You seem pretty dead-set on becoming the King of the Pirates," Zoro observed. "Why is that?"

"Well, I made a promise to someone… that I would gather a strong crew… and become the King of the Pirates!" I revealed. "I swore… and this Straw Hat is the proof of that promise… Zoro, how about we share some drinks while I tell you the tale?"

"Sounds good to me, Captain," Zoro replied as I got out two bottles of rum.

"Alright, well… where to start…" I said as I looked at the horizon. _"Nami, we're on our way. Just please, don't get in too much trouble before I get there…"_

* * *

 ** _Romance Dawn Arc: Complete_**

* * *

 ** _A/N: Well, that's one arc down!_**

 **Randy: And a whole lot more to go. You're in good spirits.  
**

 _ **A/N: How can I not be? Dragon Quest 7 comes out soon and I'm feeling great!**_

 **Randy: Don't let that rush fall down. You're doing good. Anyway, let's start the review responses.  
**

 _ **To Kiva:**_

 _ **A/N: I don't think going barefoot would be too good an idea.**_

 **Randy: Besides, I already wear sandals.  
**

 _ **To anquan:**_

 **Randy: Thanks a lot!**

 _ **A/N: We hope you didn't have to wait too long!**_

 _ **And next time on Broken Locks, we head to Orange Town to meet up with a certain mikan-loving thief!**_

 **Randy: Do you think she looks as good in person as she does in the anime?  
**

 _ **Might wanna watch your tongue, man. She might hear you.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Randy: Hey guys, sorry about not updating in so long. Work's been stretching our writer pretty thin already, and between that, car issues, and...**

 _ **A/N: Dragon... Quest... 7... So much content... 80 hours in... only just past middle...**_

 **Randy: Yeah, you can see what he's been doing otherwise. And the Pokemon Sun &Moon Demo comes out tomorrow... So we'll squeeze this in thankfully.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, only the characters I create and the additional character exploration I write in.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Ability or Technique"**

 _ _ **"Author's Notes"**__

* * *

 ** _Arc 1: Buggy Saga_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5: Nami the Navigator Thief_**

* * *

It had been a few days since Zoro and I set out to sea. Thanks to my moderate navigational skills, we were still on track for Orange Town. However, I quickly found that even with my appetite repression, Zoro and I managed to eat and drink our way through most of our supplies.

"So hungry…" I whined as I slumped over the side of our boat.

"If you weren't such a black hole, this wouldn't have happened," Zoro commented. "Why couldn't you get us to the next island faster?"

"Hey, it's not like I can predict the weather or anything," I countered. "And there's not any closer islands to this next one! Besides, I don't see you navigating us to an island."

"Well, I never really thought about it," Zoro replied. "I just kinda went out to sea one day and couldn't find my way back. The next town I stopped at, I caught a pirate and since he had a bounty, I used it to pay for food."

"So you got lost and then just became a pirate hunter out of necessity," I summarized.

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped at me before leaning back against the boat. "Man… we gotta eat something soon, or else we'll be goners."

"Well, lack of activity will slow an appetite," I replied as I turned over to look up. And lo and behold, there was a single bird up there. "Oh sweet! Lunch is flying over us!"

"Really? That bird up there?" Zoro asked as he looked. "How do you suggest we get to it without a gun?"

"Dude, I can fly, this will be easy!" I eagerly retorted as I stood up. "I might rock the boat a bit, so be ready." I then grabbed onto the sail's crossbeam and leaned back as much as I could. **"Hard Air Ballista!"** I kicked off the air and yanked myself skyward at the same time, rocketing into the air as Zoro felt the boat sink a few inches from the recoil.

"Man… what kinda power does he have?" Zoro asked as he saw his Captain sail up and up before he became a tiny spec like that bird. "Wait… does Randy look smaller than the bird now?"

"Hey Zoro! We've got a problem!" I yelled down from where I was stuck. The bird I tried to catch was the same giant pink bird that caught Luffy before, and now I was stuck with its beak latched around my waist. "I just realized we can't cook this thing on our tiny ship! We've got no stove!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT!?" Zoro roared as he started rowing after me. "YOU MORON!"

"Well, this is a fine kettle of fish," I commented to no one as Zoro and the dinghy faded out of my sight range. "Well, at least this is a sign I'm right on time."

It didn't feel like more than 15 minutes or so before I heard a cannon shot. "Welp, time for a big entrance," I said as the cannonball hit the bird dead-on, causing it to drop me from pain reflex. "SON OF A!" I screamed as I came closer and closer to the brick road. **"TEKKAI!"**

My impact made a loud thud and a huge cloud of dust. However, thanks to my training, I was perfectly fine, aside from a little dirt. "What?" I heard a female voice ask.

"What the…?!" I heard a male voice ask as I picked myself up and the dust started to clear. "A person fell from the sky!?"

"Okay, who the hell uses a cannonball to shoot a bird?" I complained as I made sure my hat was still on and the dust cleared, giving me full view of both Nami and the three mooks of Buggy's crew. "Granted, it was a very large bird, and a difficult shot, but STILL!" I patted some of the dust off of my clothes and looked to the stunned reactions around me. "What?"

"B-Boss!" Nami blurted out. "You came to save me!" I watched with a mildly feigned confusion as she walked up to me, hands clasped together.

"And you are?" I asked, just before she turned tail and ran for an alleyway.

"Sorry, but they're all yours now!" she cheered as she turned a corner, disappearing from sight.

"Hey, the girl got away!" one of the three mooks stated.

"That's fine, we've still got her boss here!" the second observed.

"So, trying to cover for your crony, huh?!" the third demanded as I turned to face them.

"Alright, look, you're seriously gonna believe that I work with her after I just got shot down?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Man, you guys are thick."

"Quit screwin' around, kid!" the mook with the two scar lines on his bald head said as he punched the side of my head, the wind from his blow tossing my hat into the air. As I watched it leave my head, my eyes locked back on the one who hit me. "Well, are you gonna…" I stopped him from saying anything more as I wordlessly punched his face in and dropped him to the street.

"Don't touch my treasure!" I roared as I caught my straw hat and replaced it on my head.

"BASTARD!" the remaining two cursed before I vanished from their sight, appearing just behind them mid-charge.

"Sleep tight," I said, chopping the backs of their necks hard enough to knock them out and send their weapons skidding.

"Wow! You're really strong!" I heard Nami comment from a rooftop above.

"Thank you for the compliment," I said as Nami jumped down to the balcony beneath. "And who are you, who quickly shifted their focus to me?"

"I'm a thief who steals from pirates!" she replied. "The name's Nami! Hey, wanna team up with me?!"

"Not interested," I said, turning my back to her and walking away.

"H-Hold on!" Nami objected as I heard her leap down and run to catch up to me. "Wait, I said!" I was about to comment further when my stomach rudely cut me off with a growl.

"Damn, that's right, I need some food…" I mused aloud as I patted my stomach.

"Well, how about I treat you to some food?" Nami offered.

"Well, I guess…" I replied. "So long as you don't try to ditch me like that again."

"Oh, bygones be bygones!" Nami said, trying to change the subject.

-X-

A bit later, Nami and I had stopped in an abandoned house and she'd scrounged up some bread, meat, lettuce, and cheese. I'd made myself a sandwich and bit off about half of it to start my meal.

"Seems a bit of a big house to be living here alone," I asked after swallowing the bite. "Anyone else here?"

"Well… this isn't my house," Nami admitted as I ate the second half of the sandwich. "Everyone here ran away because of Buggy."

"So you DO steal from more than just pirates," I commented, "Sneaky thief."

"How rude!" Nami snapped. "I'm a thief who ONLY steals from pirates! Don't compare me to scumbag sneak thieves!"

"Now, I'm not the first to say so, but normally a thief's a thief," I added as I ate a roll from a basket of bread. "There a reason for you being a thief?"

"Well…. My goal is to earn ฿100 million, no matter what it takes," Nami hesitantly revealed.

"That's a lot of money for one person," I noted. "You planning on making a big purchase?"

"It's a secret!" Nami snapped as she turned away from me. "But with a map of the Grand Line, ฿100 million is a real possibility!" I watched her stash the map under her shit, not facing me of course, as I grabbed another roll.

"So, planning a trip to the Grand Line… Are you looking for a navigator?" I asked as I tore the roll in half and ate it.

"I _am_ a navigator, and I'm much more skilled than the average navigator!" Nami proudly said as she turned to me.

"Well… I am kinda looking for a navigator," I admitted as I stood up from my seat. "I was separated from my friend on the way here, and to be honest, I'm just average when it comes to navigation."

"Really?" Nami asked, her interest piqued. "Maybe I should join you and this friend of yours!"

"Well, I don't think you'll want to," I said as I walked toward the door.

"W-Wait! Why not?" Nami asked as she took a few steps towards me.

"Because my friend and I are pirates," I said, seeing the anger and slight confusion on Nami's face.

"Forget it then!" Nami snapped. "You seem like a nice guy, why did you have to be a pirate?"

"Well, since you asked…" I said as I took off my straw hat and looked at it fondly. "I made a promise to the man who gave me this straw hat. I promised I'd gather a strong crew and become the King of the Pirates."

"King of the Pirates?" Nami echoed in surprise, before looking cross and slamming her hands on the table. "I hate pirates! I only like money and tangerines!"

"Well, that's fine," I replied as I put my hat back on my head. "If you don't want to join me, I won't force you. But I prefer to fight only pirates, and honestly, that's a lot of treasure waiting to be taken from them. You'd be missing out on easy pickings if my friend and I did all the fighting…"

"I said no!" Nami snapped as she walked towards the window, leaving me to munch on another roll. I heard the Buggy pirates outside yelling as they looked for Nami, which undoubtedly gave her the idea she got before. "Well, I might consider it… _if_ you agree to certain conditions!"

"Really? What conditions?" I asked as I looked back to her.

"I want you to come with me to see Buggy the Pirate Clown," Nami replied, "but…"

"Oh no, hold on a second," I said as I watched her unravel a length of rope. "You're going to tie me up for this?"

"Just think of it as a test," Nami replied. "I want to see how things will play out, and I have a plan."

"…alright, but I have a few conditions myself," I agreed.

-X-

"So, how much further?" Nami asked as we walked along the streets of Orange Town.

"This should be good," I replied as I looked a few blocks away to see the top of Buggy's circus tent. "Now remember, don't tie my legs up, you don't want to be dragging me the rest of the way."

"I got it, I got it," Nami replied as she started tying me up. "So I tie you up, turn you and the map over to Buggy, then get his crew drunk enough for us to escape and take back the map and his treasure."

"That's the gist of it," I replied as Nami tightened the first knot. "Hey, not so tight!"

"I have to make it look real, so stop complaining, you big baby," Nami replied.

-X-

It didn't take us too long to get to Buggy's base and for our arrival to be announced. I flashed a fake scowl as Nami led me into the base.

"That's them! She's the one who stole the chart!" one of Buggy's men observed. I let Nami push me down onto the roof and she stepped on my back.

"I've captured the thief, Captain Buggy the Clown!" Nami announced as she walked forward, map in hand. "Here's your map back!"

"I appreciate it," Buggy said calmly as I lifted my head to look at him. "But why the change of heart?"

' _Jeez, that nose is huge. It looks like someone punched that spot one too many times.'_ "Nami, what's the meaning of this?!" I demanded.

"Sorry Boss, but you've crossed the line this time," Nami said, sticking her tongue out at me as she handed the map over to Buggy. "I'm fed up working with you. I'd rather join Buggy's crew."

"You bitch! You're gonna abandon your best shot to join _this_ clown?" I added as Buggy snorted a bit and his eyes focused.

"Buggy-sama's mad! He's gonna use his Devil Fruit Power!" one of the mooks observed. It seemed Buggy was angry, until he burst out laughing.

"You're fed up with him, huh?" Buggy laughed. "You're a flashily amusing girl! I like you! You can join my crew!"

-X-

It didn't take too much longer to see the stone-and-steel cage that I was quickly thrown in show up. I just sat up and looked on at the party that was starting for Nami "joining" the Buggy Pirates. For the time, I decided to sit back and let them party it up.

"Man, some of that looks really good," I mused as I looked at the food. "I could go for some of that steak."

"So 'Boss', how's it going?" Nami teased.

"I'd be doing better if I had a last meal, 'partner'," I sarcastically replied. Nami did go and fetch me a plate and sat it in front of the cage. "Oh, real funny, leaving that where I can't reach it."

"What, you want me to feed you too?" Nami asked as she playfully stuck her tongue out.

"Men! Prepare a special Buggy Ball!" Buggy ordered from his tent, stopping our conversation from continuing. Not to mention making it so I couldn't eat the food Nami got for me.

"Yes, Buggy-sama!" the Buggy Pirates sprang into action, slowly moving a large cannon forward and anchoring it into the roof as a dark-skinned yellow-clad pirate walked a red-colored cannonball with Buggy's Jolly Roger painted on the front to it. As they loaded the cannonball, I used the opportunity to slide a kunai out of my pouch and start slicing the ropes slowly. "All set, sir!"

"W-What's about to happen?" Nami asked as she watched in slight fear.

"Observe the might of my Buggy Ball!" Buggy proudly announced. "Light it." One of the pirates lit the fuse, and I swear I lost my hearing for a second from the roar of the Buggy Ball ripping through a line of houses at least 10 deep.

' _Well, at least Zoro has a good idea of where to go now.'_ "Jeez, isn't that a bit overkilling it?" I asked as the ringing in my ears subsided. Nami could only stare on in shock as Buggy's men cheered at the destruction.

"Truly flashy! With my Buggy Balls and Devil Fruit Powers, I can conquer the Grand Line!" Buggy said. "Right, Nami?!"

"Y-Yes, of course!" Nami agreed quickly.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're not going to be the one to conquer the Grand Line," I chimed in.

"Eh? And who _will_ then?" Buggy asked as he turned to me.

"I will," I plainly stated, "I'm going to conquer the Grand Line and become King of the Pirates." I noted Buggy's flinching at my intended goal, probably because he respected Roger a good deal, I hoped.

"You idiot!" Nami said as she looked at my predicament.

"I see why you're sick of him, Nami!" Buggy snorted.

"Yeah! He takes the world too lightly…" she said, a bit of hesitation in her voice, "and he misunderstands everything! I just couldn't put up with it anymore…"

"Naturally!" Buggy agreed. "In that case, I'll give you a Buggy Ball to blow away your old boss!" I saw Nami flinch a bit as Buggy's look darkened. "It'll also prove your loyalty to me. Do it!" I watched in an observant silence as the Buggy Pirates unanchored the cannon and wheeled it in front of my cage.

"No, that's okay!" Nami objected. "C'mon, this is a welcoming party! Let's have fun!"

"Do it," Buggy ordered, "This is _my_ style of welcoming party." He handed her a box of matches with his Jolly Roger on it.

' _Man, where does a pirate find a place to put your Jolly Roger on everything?'_ I asked as I watched Nami stare at the matchbox as the Buggy Pirates cheer her into firing the cannon.

"Nami! Don't wimp out on me now!" Buggy ordered. I had to smile a bit as I saw Nami's hands shaking.

"What's the matter?" I asked, snapping Nami out of her thoughts. "Your hands are shaking. It seems that you lack the resolve to take on pirates like these."

"Resolve to do what?" Nami asked. "To kill people like it's nothing?! Is that a pirate's resolve?!"

"That's not what I was implying," I replied calmly as the world around Nami and I seemed to quiet itself. "The resolve I meant is the resolve to do what you feel is the right thing, regardless of whether your life is the one in danger." Nami was snapped out of her thoughts again as one of Buggy's men swiped the matchbox from her hands.

"Hey, new girl! Quit bein' a tease!" he said as he got a match out and lit it. "This is how you light it!" Nami's gaze slowly shifted to the pirate as he lowered the match to the cannon's fuse. I grinned as Nami reached under her skirt and whipped out the pieces of her bo-staff from a garter. She assembled it with lightning speed and slammed it on the back of the pirate's head, trying to stop him from lighting the fuse. The Buggy Pirates quickly sobered up as they silently stared at Nami's reaction.

"So that's the real you…" I mused as Nami realized what she'd just done.

"Crap!" Nami cursed, "I didn't mean to…"

"Nami! What's the meaning of this?!" Buggy pressed.

"I'm sorry!" Nami apologized.

"What?! Apologizing won't fix things!" Buggy snapped.

"Well, thanks for the save, Nami," I said, causing Nami to turn on heel to face me.

"Don't be stupid!" Nami barked. "I only did it because of the situation!" She turned back to face the Buggy Pirates. "I just didn't want to wind up like these inhuman pirates! Pirates took the life of a person dear to me! As if I'd ever be one!"

"And in the light of that, I thank you for showing me your true colors," I announced, beaming like an idiot. "I believe we can truly work together now, and I'm gonna start by putting out that fuse there."

"Wait, what?!" Nami asked as she turned back to see the fuse slowly burning its way down.

"Keep your ridicule to a minimum, girl!" Buggy ordered. "Kill her flashily!"

"There'll be no killing today!" I roared as I snapped my way out of the remaining uncut rope and leaped at the cage door. Much to everyone's shock, the lock had been forced open and I easily pushed my way out.

"W-What the hell?!" one of Buggy's men yelped. "How'd he get loose?!"

"Never mind that, how'd he pick the lock on that cage?!" another asked. "We spent a good ฿100,000 on that lock and there's only one key!"

"You…" Nami said as I sprang over the cannon's barrel with a vault and slashed the fuse short.

"He had a dagger on him!" one of Buggy's men realized as he looked at my kunai.

"Didn't anyone check him for weapons?!" another asked as Buggy's gaze went bloodthirsty.

"I won't stand for this level of humiliation!" he yelled at the top of his squeaky lungs. "KILL BOTH OF THEM, NOW!"

"Yes, Captain Buggy!" his crew said as four of them leaped towards the two of us, blades ready.

"How did you get out?" Nami asked as I blocked a pair of blades with the kunai and kicked the other two men away.

"It's a secret," I teased, mirroring Nami's earlier statement.

"Wait, why did you wait until then if you could have gotten out at any time?!" Nami shrieked as she realized she had pointlessly put herself in danger.

"I wanted to see how it played out," I said, Nami's face twisting slightly into anger that I had tricked her. "And I wanted to see your morals. I'm glad you're not willing to sink to their level. I wouldn't work with you if you did."

"You wouldn't… don't think this means I'll work with you!" Nami snapped as I deflected two blades away and punched the bearer off me.

"On your 3 o' clock," I said as Nami remembered we were still in a fight and twisted to bring her bo-staff against another skull, sending a Buggy pirate to the ground.

"Just swarm them already!" Buggy ordered. "They can't stop all of you!"

' _Of course Buggy has to be a smart tactician.'_ I watched as at least half of Buggy's men leaped to pounce on us, and Nami flinched in fear.

"Just how many of you are gonna pick on two people?" Zoro asked as he stepped up, smashing the pirates' faces in with his sheathed blades.

"Good timing, Zoro," I congratulated as my first mate finally arrived. "I still would have been fine, though."

"Sure you would have, Randy," Zoro sarcastically replied. "You hurt?"

"Eh?" Nami asked, briefly not realizing the question was directed at her. "N-No, I'm fine…"

"We're not out of the woods yet," I commented as I cracked my knuckles. "We still gotta take out the trash."

"And who's fault is it that you got into this mess in the first place?" Zoro asked. "First a bird kidnaps you, and then I find you like this… What kinda mess did you get into?"

"Hey, it could have been worse," I said, shrugging. "I could have been locked up in that cage right now."

"Did… did he say 'Zoro'?" one of Buggy's men realized. "As in 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro?!" I could see the confusion on Nami's face as Zoro walked over to where I was standing.

"So you're Zoro?" Buggy asked, causing Nami to jump back towards me a bit. "What do you want? You here to take my head or something?"

"Nope, not interested," Zoro replied. "I gave up pirate-hunting."

" _I'm_ interested, though!" Buggy cut in. "Killing you will increase my fame."

"I wouldn't try it," Zoro threatened. "You'll die."

"Oh? That so?" Buggy cuttingly asked as he spun a long dagger in one hand and gripped a set of four in the other.

"Guess words aren't enough for you…" Zoro sighed as he drew his katana.

"Go get 'im, Captain Buggy!" the pirates cheered as Buggy licked his dagger psychotically.

"You know, that'll give you a nasty paper-cut," I quipped as Buggy only chuckled at my advice. Zoro took his stance as Buggy ran straight for him before leaping into the air with a very open stance.

"Die flashily!" Buggy yelled as Zoro easily slipped in and cut his stomach and right limbs clean through. Buggy's men shut up and Nami gasped as Buggy's body hit the ground, seemingly lifeless.

"He had no resistance to him at all…" Zoro noted after sheathing his blades.

"Zoro… he's not bleeding," I stated as Zoro took a closer look at Buggy's body.

"No way…" Nami gasped as Buggy's men started laughing. "H-Huh? Their captain's been killed… but they're laughing!"

"Hey! What's so damn funny?!" Zoro demanded as I saw Buggy's torso float up behind him.

" **SORU!"** I roared as Nami gasped as she saw me flicker out of sight for a moment. Her gaze quickly changed when she heard the clang of steel-on-steel as Zoro turned to find me right behind him, parrying Buggy's disembodied hand with my kunai, the hand still holding a dagger and very close to stabbing Zoro.

"Wh-What the hell?!" Zoro exclaimed as he got a good look at Buggy's hand.

"What's that arm?!" Nami asked as she wondered how I got behind Zoro so fast.

"Buggy said he ate a Devil Fruit," I stated. "And seeing his limbs unbloodied was all the hint I needed."

"Not bad, 'Boss'," Buggy mocked as he pulled his floating hand back from my kunai. "The Chop-Chop Fruit… that's the name of the Devil Fruit I ate!" He pieced his arm back together, then his leg and torso, the cuts blending back seamlessly to his body, clothes and all. "I'm a chop-chop man who can't be cut!"

"I can already think of some downsides to that," I said as Zoro's face darkened, realizing Buggy played him.

"His body re-attached itself!" Nami stated. "I thought Devil Fruits were only a rumor!"

"Nope, they're very real," I said as I turned to her. "And on the Grand Line, they're about as common as a cold."

"Damn you, if you hadn't blocked me, that would have been a serious wound!" Buggy roared as he still laughed, despite not harming Zoro. "Regardless, you can never beat me! I'll always win against you, Pirate Hunter!" Buggy's men started cheering for him again as he threw his head back in laughter.

"Stabbing someone in the back… That's a cheap tactic, tomato nose!" I growled at Buggy, causing his crew to shut up in fear.

"Who's… got a tomato nose?!" Buggy roared as he launched the arm he tried to stab Zoro with at me, dagger first.

" **Tekkai,"** I said quietly as the blade hit my shirt and plinked off, much to Buggy's surprise. In his shock, I grabbed his floating hand and applied pressure to his thumb, causing the hand to drop the blade.

"GAH! Let go of my hand, straw hat-bastard!" Buggy ordered as he clutched the stump where his arm separated.

"Buggy… I _will_ kick your ass!" I resolved as I stomped on the dagger he dropped, snapping it in two.

"You… kick _my_ ass?!" Buggy growled as I let his hand go. "That's a bad joke, straw hat." He flexed his hand lenitively as he glared daggers at me. "You're not gonna make another one, cause you're all gonna die here! You have no options here to kick my ass!" Buggy started laughing to mask his anger, and his crew started hesitantly laughing with him.

"It's no use…" Nami muttered. "It's all over…"

"Hah! You're right!" I laughed as Nami and Zoro looked to me in shocked confusion. "That was a bad joke!" I stifled a laugh as Nami and Zoro face-faulted. "But we're not gonna die here! Zoro! Nami! RUN!"

"What?! But he came here to save you!" Nami asked, confused. "And you're free! Why are we running?!"

"Understood," Zoro said as his face calmed a bit as he noticed the look in my eyes.

"Impudent fools!" Buggy roared as he pounced on Zoro again, his daggers flying wildly as Zoro went on the defensive. "As if I'd let you escape!" Zoro grinned as he let Buggy push him back towards the tent, and then cut Buggy's torso again, leaging through the gap as Buggy instinctively floated his torso up. "Fool! Your Santoryu has no effect on…" Buggy then realized Zoro had stopped fighting and was running towards the cannon as I had started lifting the heavy cannon barrel up. "Hey! Listen when people are talking!"

"Alright, on three…" I grunted as Zoro got on the opposite side of the cannon and took hold. "THREE!" We heaved and lifted the cannon up, letting it fall backwards.

"Ah crap!" one of Buggy's pirates said in realized shock as the entire crew froze up in surprise. "The cannon's pointed this way!"

"Oi, light it," Zoro ordered Nami.

"Eh?" Nami asked.

"Hurry!" Zoro urged.

"R-Right!" Nami said as she grabbed the match box.

"Wait, wait, wait! There's still a Special Buggy Ball in there!" Buggy said as his face showed how screwed he realized he was. Nami almost grinned as she lit the shortened fuse. "You lit it! Wait! No! Stop! Stop!" Buggy's pleading fell on deaf ears as Nami, Zoro, and I all covered our ears to ease the noise of the cannon firing. The Buggy Ball ripped through the roof of Buggy's base and left a massive smokescreen for us to escape behind.

"And that would be our cue to exit," I said, scooping up Nami in my arms.

"H-Hey! What're you doing?!" Nami asked as she wriggled in my grip.

"We'll move faster this way," I stated despite her protests. "Zoro, let's move!"

"Right, Captain," he agreed as we dashed off to the next rooftop, making our escape.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Man, now we're getting into the good stuff._**

 **Randy: Maybe I can make a difference, even if it's slight.  
**

 _ **A/N: We'll see about that.**_

 **Randy: That Nami's quite a beauty I must say. Such a lovely visage...  
**

 _ **A/N: Anyway... only two reviews? Well, at least people are reading!**_

 _ **To Guest:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks a lot! Hearing the little things like this still means a lot to me.**_

 **Randy: We'll keep going.  
**

 _ **To**_ _ **gamelover41592:**_

 **Randy: Well, looking good so far that is.  
**

 _ **A/N: OI! Watch it!**_

 _ **Next time on Broken Locks, we'll be dealing with one of my favorite moments in One Piece, which helped really cement Luffy's moral standpoint.**_

 **Randy: Poor Chou-Chou... Anyway, rate, review, and please watch for the next chapter!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Randy: And we're back, ladies and germs! My author just got over another bad case of Gamer Fever.**

 _ **A/N: POKEMON MOON! God, I fell in love with the Alola Region! And I've already far cleared the entrance to the Post-Game!**_

 **Randy: So... why didn't you start on this sooner?**

 _ **A/N: ...I wanted to finish the Pokedex.**_

 **Randy: Oi, oi... *Sigh* Fine, anyway, with that out of the way and the holidays on the way, we'll continue on hopefully.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only the characters I create and the additional character exploration.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 6: A Dog's Treasure_**

* * *

It didn't take us too much longer to escape Buggy's men. Nami kept quiet despite the obvious irritation she was feeling about being manhandled by me.

"Oi, Randy, who's the girl?" Zoro asked as we steadied ourselves against the tile of a rooftop.

"Well, her name's Nami, and she's gonna be our Navigator," I said with a smile.

"I never agreed to that!" Nami snapped as she finally wriggled out of my grip. "And just who are you two anyway?"

"Fine, if you don't want to help, stay here and get out of our way," Zoro said before he grimaced and knelt. "Damn it…"

"Zoro, what's the…" I asked before I heard his stomach growling. "Ah, right, you haven't eaten recently. Hang on."

"What do you mean by that?" Nami asked as she watched me heft my companion over my shoulders. "You're… surprisingly loyal for a pirate…"

"We ran out of food before we got here," I revealed as I leaped down to the ground. "I'm gonna go find him something to eat, we'll catch you later, Nami!"

"You idiots…" Nami muttered as I ran off with Zoro leaning on my shoulders.

-X-

"This should be far enough," I said as I got to an empty street and set Zoro on the ground.

"Being hungry… sucks," Zoro complained as I looked around, noting the pet food store behind us with a sign made from logs and cut letters. "What's with the dog?" I had to blink as I looked down, not even noticing Chou-Chou at first.

"Hey there, pooch," I said, kneeling in front of him. "You look busy, but do you mind watching my friend for me while I go find him some food?"

"Grrrr…" Chou-Chou warned me as I stepped back.

"No good, huh? Well, thanks anyway," I said, turning back to Zoro. "I'll be quick, so just hang on a bit longer, Zoro." As I turned to leave, I was surprised to see Nami with a small cloth sack. "Oh, hey Nami. Decided to come with us after all?"

"Well, you did save me back there, so I at least owe you something," Nami said as she set the sack down next to Zoro. Untying it for him, inside was some of the food from the house she fed me at. "Since I already fed you, I can at least feed him too. But I'm just doing this so I don't owe you."

"Wow, thanks Nami!" I said, smiling at her. However, Chou-Chou was close enough to lean over and take a piece of meat for himself. "Hey pooch, drop it! That's for Zoro, not you!" I crouched down and grabbed Chou-Chou, causing him to drop the meat and bite me instead. "OW OW OW! How does this hurt so much?! LET GO YOU STUPID DOG!"

"Is this guy for real?" Nami asked as Zoro shrugged as he leaned against the pet food store, grabbed the meat Chou-Chou had, and started shoveling food in his mouth.

"Stop that!" a voice from the side ordered as we turned to look who was speaking. It was an old man wearing glasses with white curly hair on his head, styled kind of like a poodle's head. "Quit bullying Chou-Chou, you young'uns!" He walked over, wearing some leather armor over a yellow plaid button shirt and tan shorts, grabbing Chou-Chou and managing to pull him off my face.

"You mean this dog?" I asked, glaring at the white pooch.

"Who're you, old man?" Zoro asked as he stopped stuffing his face.

"I'm this town's mayor! Who're you?!" he returned.

"Oh, I'm Monkey D. Ran… dy…" I said as my vision blurred. "Oh… crap…"

"Randy?" Zoro asked as my sight faded to black and the last thing I heard was my body hitting the ground.

-X-

"GODDAMMIT LUFFY!" I roared within my subconscious as I saw a very familiar straw-hatted pirate staring at me from across the void. "What could be so important that you needed to talk to me this second?!"

"Be nice to that doggie! He's just protecting his treasure!" Luffy ordered. "Don't pick on him!"

"I wasn't… URGH! Why in the collective gods' names did you have to gain the ability to speak to me like this?" I groaned. "Every time you want to talk to me, I have to be unconscious as far as I know."

"So, what's the problem?" Luffy asked innocently.

"What's the problem? WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?! You're giving me a worse narcolepsy than our brother Ace, THAT'S the problem!" I snapped back at him, my teeth like a shark's. "Do you have any idea how much you're inconveniencing me?"

"What does that mean?" Luffy asked.

"I… ARGH! Fine, I won't pick on Chou-Chou again, now can I go back to the waking world?" I asked.

"Alright!" Luffy said, grinning like the idiot he was. "See you soon! Can't wait to see you beat Buggy!"

-X-

"I'm up! I'm up!" I yelled as I flipped up to my feet. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing aside from blowing my eardrums out!" Nami snapped as she clocked me in the back of my head. "God, what is wrong with you?"

"A lot of things…" I groaned as I nursed the new lump of flesh on the back of my head. "Where's Zoro?"

"I took him into my house to rest," the mayor explained as he walked back over. "He said he just needed to eat and sleep the rest of the hunger off. I'm a bit more concerned about you, young man."

"Ah, narcolepsy runs in my family," I half-lied. "I do my best to mitigate it."

"So this dog's name is Chou-Chou?" Nami asked, changing the subject as she pet Chou-Chou tenetively.

"My question is why is he sitting out here alone when the rest of the town's fled from Buggy," I added.

"He's guarding the shop," Boodle revealed.

"He's guarding it?" Nami repeated.

"Yes…" Boodle replied solemnly.

"Oh! This is a pet food shop…" Nami realized as she finally took a look at the building behind her.

"Yes. This shop's owner is a good friend of mine…" Boodle said as he walked into the shop for a moment, coming back out with a small tin of dog food. "There you go." He set the tin in front of Chou-Chou, who greedily ate up. "So I'm here to feed this dog in his place."

"In his place?" Nami asked.

"Yes. He died three months ago, from an illness…" Boodle continued.

"Don't tell me he's been waiting all this time for his master to return?" Nami asked incredulously.

"That's what everyone says," Boodle agreed as he sat on the shop's porch with a smoke pipe in hand. "But I don't think that's it. Chou-Chou is a smart dog. He's probably long known that his master's dead."

"Then why is he guarding the shop?" Nami asked as Chou-Chou licked the tin clean.

"I think it's because the shop is a treasure in Chou-Chou's eyes," the mayor continued before taking a puff from the pipe and exhaling it. "I think he continues to protect it because it's a memento of his loving master. I've tried to make him evacuate on many occasions, but he won't take as much as a step away from here."

I quietly mulled things over as Chou-Chou politely returned the tin to the mayor and he resumed his guard position in front of the shop. The remaining silence was broken by thundering footsteps slowly coming out way.

"What's that noise?" Nami asked as a deep, shriek-like sound rumbled through the air.

"It's him! 'Beast Tamer' Mohji!" the mayor realized, running up behind Nami.

"What do you mean by 'Beast Tamer'?!" Nami asked as the mayor frantically bounced back and forth behind her before running off to an alleyway. "W-Wait, hold on!"

"Well, I guess if a dog's not gonna run from this guy, I can't either," I commented as I stood up from my sitting place and moved beside Chou-Chou. I saw a large shadow move over me and I looked up to see an elephant-sized lion with green fur and a purple mane.

"I see your friends have deserted you," the white fur-clad man observed from atop the lion, "and just after you escaped too…"

"And you are?" I asked, turning to face the man.

"I am 'Beast Tamer' Mohji, a member of the Buggy Pirates," he revealed.

"That is one weird suit you're wearing," I commented as I looked over the white fur portions of the suit, and his styled hair.

"You jerk! This is my hair!" Mohji snapped as he pointed to his hair.

"And that's even weirder," I added. "What are you, a furry?"

"SHUT UP!" Mohji snapped again. "I am a Beast Tamer of unparalleled skill. Observe…" He got off his lion with a smug look on his face. "There is no animal in this world I can't tame!" He walked over to Chou-Chou, who was defensively crouched and growling at the lion. "Shake." Chou-Chou responded by biting down on Mohij's hand and making him dance around in a panic.

"You're nothing but a nameless sneak-thief," Mohji continued as he quickly went back atop his lion, ignoring the bite marks in his hand. "I have no interest in taking your life. Tell me where Roronoa Zoro is!"

"Let me think about it… NO," I quickly answered.

"Sic him, Richie!" Mohij ordered. Mohij somehow managed to stay on Richie as the lion pounced at me. It wasn't hard to avoid, I just leaped backwards and into the air. However, Richie was faster than I thought, and swiped his paw at me.

"Shit, I can't move like this!" I groaned as Richie's attack connected and sent me flying back towards a building. **"TEKKAI!"** I didn't even feel a thing as I barreled into several buildings behind the first, finally skidding to a stop.

"Finally… man, if I didn't train my ass off, that would have hurt," I said, picking myself up and dusting off any dirt or wood shrapnel.

"How are you alive?!" Nami asked as she and Boodle came around the corner and saw me standing up.

"You're alive!" the mayor observed.

"Nami, you saw me fall from the sky today, how are you surprised I'm not hurt?" I asked.

"Wait, I wasn't seeing things?" Nami asked before getting back to the subject. "Never mind that, you're okay after flying through a block's worth of houses! That's not normal!"

"Normal's overrated," I commented as I shook my head clear.

"Just what did you come to this town for?" Boodle asked. "And why are you involved with those pirates?"

"Well, to be honest, I only just decided on my reason for being here," I replied. "To get a map of the Grand Line and get a navigator!" Nami looked at me for a moment. "That weird guy said he was looking for Zoro, so I better deal with him before I take out Buggy. Later!"

-X-

I ran as fast as my legs would take me, trying not to tire myself out for the upcoming battle. However, as I saw smoke rising, my heart sank. Finally making it to the Pet Food shop, I clenched my fists as I saw Chou-Chou barking at the burning, destroyed shop.

 **-Flashback-**

" _I think it's because the shop is a treasure in Chou-Chou's eyes," the mayor continued before taking a puff from the pipe and exhaling it. "I think he continues to protect it because it's a memento of his loving master. I've tried to make him evacuate on many occasions, but he won't take as much as a step away from here."_

 **-End Flashback-**

I pulled my straw hat down to cover my eyes, hiding the small tears forming. "Chou-Chou," I said, drawing the dog's attention. "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him from doing this to your treasure. But I WILL make him pay for it."

I turned to walk away, before hearing two grateful sounding barks behind me. That cheered me up a bit, but did nothing to mask the anger I had for Mohij.

-X-

"Damn it! That dog even bit me!" Mohji said as Randy rounded a corner. Richie still had the dog food in his mouth as he came to a stop in front of the straw hatted pirate, a look of surprise on the lion's face. "Wait! I just killed you!"

"I'm stubborn like that," Randy quipped. "Something like that won't kill me."

"Crunch up his head for sure this time!" Mohji barked as he back-flipped off Richie, the lion snarling at Randy as it dropped the last box of dog food. Randy only slid his foot back to brace himself for the next step as Richie lunged at the pirate, intent to kill.

"I won't lose to you or your lion!" Randy roared as he ran beneath Richie's pounce. "I always wanted to do this… **SHORYUKEN!** "

Mohji couldn't believe his eyes as this sneak-thief jumped into a spinning uppercut that knocked his precious Richie into the air.

"And now…" Randy said as he vanished from Mohji's sight. "The finisher!" Mohij's eyes were drawn skyward as he saw Randy grappling Richie, both their heads facing the ground. **"PRIMARY LOTUS!"** Mohij's eyes bugged out as Randy somehow made Richie spin and drove his head into the street below.

"RICHIE!" Mohji yelled as he cried for his pet and companion, the dust settling as the lion stayed planted in the crater Randy put him in. "What are you?!"

"I am Monkey D. Randy," Randy stated as his straw hat hit the ground, having flew off his head during the tribute to Rock Lee. "I'm the kind of monster you find on the Grand Line. One with Devil Fruit Powers."

"You… you ate the Devil Fruit just like Captain Buggy?!" Mohji realized in fear. "So that's how… A-Alright! I peacefully apologize to you!"

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to," he said coldly as Mohji flinched. "And even if you did, that dog's treasure is never coming back." Randy turned on heel, his glare making Mohij scramble back. "That's why… I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Mohji didn't even have time to run as Randy flashed in front of him, and grabbed him by the collar. With one swift punch, the back of Mohji's head quickly met the street.

"I'd say that felt good, but I'm still too pissed," Randy growled.

-X-

Nami looked on at Chou-Chou, who was currently looking at the charred remains of the pet food shop he treasured so much.

"Pirates are all the same, every last one!" she said matter-of-factly. "They take what people hold dear without a second thought!" She heard footsteps and turned to see who was making them. "Oh, so you're back, pirate?" Nami felt justified in her insult, before she noticed Randy was holding two things: a slightly bent box of pet food, and "Beast Tamer" Mohji. "Wh-What… you beat that lion?"

"One second, I have some business to finish," Randy said, walking towards Chou-Chou.

"Business? What, you're going to do what he did, pirate?!" Nami snapped as Randy threw Mohji next to Chou-Chou.

"Apologize to Chou-Chou," Randy growled to the beast tamer, surprising Nami and Boodle.

"Wh-what did he say?" Nami asked. She couldn't believe her ears.

"You… you want me to apologize to this mutt?" Mohji asked as he tried to pick himself up. Randy however quickly stomped on his back, forcing Mohji back to the ground. "H-Heavy…"

"Apologize. To Chou-Chou. NOW," Randy ordered as Mohij flinched as best he could under the straw hat's foot. "Or do you want me to plant your head into the street like I did your lion?"

"NONONONO! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I deeply apologize for burning down your pet food shop!" Mohji rapidly spat out, doing his best to bow his head like he was a bobble-head doll. "I can never be forgiven for the sins I've done!"

Chou-Chou stopped Mohji's apologies by barking in what seemed to be approval. Not at the apology, but at Randy's actions.

"Good," Randy said, picking his foot up from Mohji, allowing the beast tamer to pick himself up. "NOW GET OUT OF HERE, YA JERK!" Randy's foot snapped to the side, kicking Mohji in the waist and sending him flying down the street. "Good riddance to bad rubbish. Chou-Chou, I saved this for you." Randy sat down beside Chou-Chou and handed the box of pet food to the beat-up white dog. "Sorry, but that's all that was left. That bastard lion ate the rest."

"He fought that lion… for the dog's sake…" Nami said to herself. She was blown away by what was going on. This random guy who she almost got killed, then saved her regardless, beat up a lion the size of a house so he could help this dog who had been wronged by pirates.

"Looks like you did your best at protecting your treasure," Randy continued as he rubbed Chou-Chou's head. "Even if the rest of your treasure is gone, you'll always have your memories of your master. But you can still treasure what's left, and always remember him, right?"

Chou-Chou merely picked up the box, and started to walk off with it. However, he stopped, and barked gratefully at Randy. "Thanks! Good luck to you too, Chou-Chou!" Randy cheered as the dog barked a few times, picked up the box again, and walked off.

" _Maybe… I was wrong about him,"_ Nami mused as she smiled at Randy and Chou-Chou. "Sorry about earlier!" she said as she walked over to Randy.

"Sorry about what?" he asked, looking up to her.

"I didn't mean to yell at you," Nami apologized.

"Eh, water under the bridge," he said, standing up and dusting himself off. "Besides, you seem like you haven't had the most positive experience with pirates. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, just so you know."

"I'm so pathetic!" Boodle growled as he clenched his fists in anger. "Chou-Chou and this young'un will fight this hard, and why must I, the mayor, sit idly by and watch our town be obliterated?!"

"Calm down, mayor!" Nami said as she and Randy ran in front of the mayor.

"Forty years ago, this place was nothing but barren land…" Boodle recounted, "We all worked together to clear the land, make fields, open stores, and build this town from the ground up! This town is a treasure to me and all the citizens of this town! I cannot let them domineer over it any longer!" As if on cue, another Buggy Ball was fired and ripped through another part of town. "Even my own house…"

"Your house?! Crap, Zoro was in there!" Randy yelped frantically.

"That young'un is probably dead now…" Boodle said in regret.

"Zoro! You still alive in there?!" Randy asked, hoping to the gods that Zoro was still alive.

"That's a hell of an alarm clock…" Zoro commented as he sat up amid the rubble. "I could have used a bit more sleep…"

"Sleep nothing!" Randy said, running over to him. "You're okay!"

"How are you still alive?" Nami asked with an almost exasperated look on her face. "You two are monsters…"

"I refuse to let them get away with this…" Boodle resolved. "I can't stand this anymore! Some random scum has no right to swoop in and destroy our forty years of hard work! I am this town's mayor! I will protect this town!" Boodle roared as he threw his head back and grabbed the spear off his back.

"Stop! Stop mayor!" Nami screamed as she tried to hold Boodle back.

"There are fights a man cannot run from!" Boodle continued as he struggled against Nami's grip. "Isn't that right, young'un?"

"You got it right, mayor," Randy agreed.

"Don't encourage him!" Nami snapped. "What can he possibly do by going to fight them?! It's reckless!"

"I know I'm being reckless!" Boodle snapped back at Nami, causing her to let go of him in shock. "I'm coming for you, Buggy the Clown!" Boodle ran off to face what would be his certain doom.

"The mayor… he was crying," Nami observed.

"Yeah, I noticed," Randy added, smiling. "That means he really loves this town that much."

"This party's getting exciting," Zoro commented.

"Sure is Zoro!" Randy laughed.

"This is no time to be laughing!" Nami scolded.

"It's fine, I'm not gonna let the mayor get himself killed," Randy returned. "I like him too much to let him get hurt."

"In that case…" Zoro said as he walked off with Randy, his arm resting on his katana's handles.

"You're going too?" Nami asked in disbelief. "You just got a house dropped on you!"

"The injury to my name is worse than anything that house could have done to me," Zoro revealed as he tied his bandana over his mossy-green hair.

"We're going to the Grand Line, no matter what," Randy said as he walked by Nami. "So we're gonna go kick Buggy's ass and take that map." He turned to Nami, his face beaming. "We need a navigator, and you need some strong friends. I'm not asking you to join my crew just yet, but for now, let's be partners, agreed?" He held his hand out to her as the friendly gesture it was.

"I'll never join your pirate crew," Nami stated as she paused before grabbing my hand. "But I think I can handle being partners towards a common goal."

"Glad to hear it, Nami," he said, smiling as they shook hands briefly.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Alright, next time we take on the rest of Buggy's crew!**_

 **Randy: But first, some review replies.**

 _ **To Nowdied:**_

 _ **A/N: Perhaps, but you'll have to wait and see! *cackles madly***_

 **Randy: You are a devil sometimes.**

 _ **To Guest:**_

 _ **A/N: I'm glad to hear I could make your day better!**_

 _ **To RinnaZevran1987:**_

 **Randy: Thank you for reading.**

 _ **To JJsanoguel98:**_

 _ **A/N: We're back in the saddle.**_

 **Randy: And we're not stopping now!**

 _ **A/N: And that's all for now! If you leave a review, Randy will start a Nuzlocke of Pokemon Moon!**_

 **Randy: YOU JERK!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Whoo! First chapter of the new year!**_

 **Randy: Glad the winter blues haven't hit you too hard yet. And that you don't have a spare copy of Sun or Moon for me to Nuzlocke.**

 _ **A/N: YET.**_

 **Randy: You monster.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only the characters I create and any additional character exploration.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 7: Epic Showdown! Zoro vs. Cabaji!_**

* * *

"The second shot is ready, Captain Buggy!" one of Buggy's crew said as the cannon was leveled to face another part of the city.

"Alright! Fire!" Buggy ordered. However, before they could…

"Come out, Buggy the Clown!" Boodle roared as he held his spear up towards the roof of the Drinker's Pub. He panted heavily from the running he did before starting again. "I am Mayor Boodle! This town is our treasure! I've come to protect it! Fight me!"

"What are you, stupid?!" Buggy snidely snipped. "Treasure is gold, silver, and jewels! This town, a treasure? Cut the crap!"

"You'd never understand how I feel!" Boodle realized from Buggy's words. However, he was cut off by a hand clamping around his throat and lifting him into the air.

"I'm soon going to conquer the Grand Line and flashily obtain all of the world's riches!" Buggy declared. "This world's riches are mine! No one else in this world needs treasure but me! If this town's so important to you, shall I destroy you with it?" Buggy grinned as his disembodied hand kept Boodle's throat in a deadly grip.

"Quit prattling and fight me!" Boodle demanded as he gasped for breath.

"Don't get cocky now!" Buggy mocked as he kept Boodle down, or rather up.

"I won't let you destroy this town! Even if it costs me my life!" Boodle choked out as Buggy's grip tightened.

"Fire!" Buggy ordered before he pulled back in pain from his phantom limb. Randy had separated Buggy's hand from the mayor's throat, and was currently crushing it in his own vice grip. "That straw hat guy?!" Buggy noticed that the straw-hat guy, Roronoa Zoro, and that thief Nami were all present.

"I'm here to kick your ass, just like I promised!" Randy announced as he could only grin at Buggy as he scowled at me. Randy eventually let his hand go and he called it back, flexing it soothingly.

"Straw Hat… How dare you just come waltzing back, to Captain Buggy!" Buggy snarled as he glared daggers at the straw hat-clad pirate.

"Listen! All I want is the map and the treasure!" Nami barked at Randy and Zoro.

"Yeah, I know," Zoro calmly commented with his eyes shadowed by his bandanna. Boodle stabilized himself on the ground as he coughed for air.

"Young'uns… what're you doing here?" Boodle asked the trio. "Stay out of this, you're outsiders!" He took another breath as Randy took a step over to him. "This is my fight! I will protect my town!" He grabbed his spear and stood up and glared at Nami and Zoro. "I don't need your meddling!"

"My apologies Mayor," Randy said as he grabbed the side of Boodle's neck. "But you need a nap." Randy pinched where he was grabbing and the Mayor's eyes rolled back into his head.

"R-Randy?!" Nami yelped as Randy gently guided Boodle to the ground. "What the hell was that?!"

"I just put him to sleep for a bit," Randy said, Nami relieved once she heard the Mayor breathing peacefully. "He'll just get himself hurt if he tries to fight Buggy."

"Good thinking," Zoro commented. "He'd probably get himself killed. This is for the best."

"B-but how did you even do that?!" Nami demanded as she glared at Randy. "You can't just put someone to sleep by pinching them!"

"I can," Randy replied. "Would you have preferred I slammed his face into the wall?"

"Of course not!" Nami snapped as Randy walked a bit closer to the Drinker's Pub. "Only an idiot would do that!"

"Alright, here goes…" Randy said as he took a deep breath. "HEEEEYYYY TOMATO NOSE! YOUR MOTHER WAS A HAMSTER AND YOUR FATHER SMELLED OF ELDERBERRIES! NOW GET DOWN HERE BEFORE I TAUNT YOU A SECOND TIME, YOU FAKE-NOSED COWARD!"

The collective jaws in the area dropped like a falling rock as Buggy's veins popped in his head, glaring furiously at his insulter.

"Idiot! That's the one thing you _shouldn't_ say!" Nami snapped as she clutched her head in fear.

"Damn you, you flashy idiot!" Buggy roared with narrowed eyes and a dark look. "How dare you… FLASHILY FIRE THE BUGGY BALL!"

"Why'd you say that?! You idiot!" Nami snapped as the cannon was leveled to point straight at Randy.

"Hey Randy, run!" Zoro urged as Nami sprinted away from Randy, and he did the same shortly after.

"Nah, I'm gonna try something out," Randy said as he spread his legs a bit and flexed his fingers.

"Time to die a flashy death!" Buggy roared as the cannon fired.

"Let's make this showy!" Randy said as he shot his hands forward. The Buggy Ball hit his hands and Randy started skidding back as he slowly brought the ball back to his chest. He stopped moving a good three yards away and planted his feet again, much to the shock of the Buggy Pirates, Nami, and Zoro.

"Did… did he just CATCH the Buggy Ball?!" one of Buggy's pirates shrieked as Randy moved sideways with the red cannonball in one hand.

"Wait, but why didn't it explode?!" Buggy asked as he worriedly looked at the way Randy was reeling his arm back.

"Geez, say something next time," Zoro commented as he held his head.

"Hey Buggy! I think this is yours!" Randy roared as he threw the cannonball like a baseball, right back at the Buggy Pirates. They didn't even have time to comment as the Buggy Ball landed right at the edge of the rooftop, exploding wildly and collapsing the Drinker's Pub. "Aw man, I missed. I was aiming for the cannon."

"THAT'S what you're concerned about?!" Nami snapped as she glared at Randy for scaring her again.

"You really know how to freak people out…" Zoro quipped.

"I thought it was weird when you beat that lion!" Nami continued as she stood up and stomped over to Randy. "What the hell kinda person can catch a cannonball and then throw it back faster than it was shot?!"

"Well, I do know one person…" Randy said, shivering a bit. _"Damn Grandpa for his brutal training, but he does know how to be a badass."_

"You're not a normal human!" Nami snapped. "Explain yourself!"

"Well, I've been rigorously training for the past 10 years to improve my body into what I think can handle the Grand Line, Nami," Randy replied, matter-of-factly.

"Well, it turned you into a monster!" Nami snapped as she had to hold herself back from punching him. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you have a Devil Fruit like Buggy!"

"How dare you try to flashily do me in?" Buggy growled as he pushed himself out of the rubble, showing two of his men hanging from his floating hands.

"He used his own men as shields!" Nami commented disgustedly as Buggy dropped his human shields. It was a bit confusing to see Mohji wake up, completely unharmed despite being among the many who were injured from the Buggy Ball's blast.

"What's going on here?" the beast tamer asked as he looked around. He flinched in fear as he locked eyes on Randy. "Y-You! C-Captain Buggy! Be careful! He said he ate a Devil Fruit like you did!"

"What?!" Buggy rumbled as he looked at Mohji out of the corner of his eye.

"You… you did eat a Devil Fruit?" Nami asked as she looked at Randy.

"Yep. But I'm not going to use it unless I have a damn good reason," Randy replied as he turned to Nami.

"A Devil Fruit… that would explain how he caught the Buggy Ball and sent it back at us," Buggy mused as some more of the rubble moved away, revealing the scarf-clad Cabaji and his own meat shield of choice, Richie the Lion.

"This is the greatest insult we've had since we hoisted our flag, Captain," Cabaji commented as he held Richie up.

"Oh, Cabaji!" Buggy said as he noticed the crew's "swordsman". "I'm so mad, words fail me…"

"Cabaji! What the hell did you do to Richie?!" Mohji demanded of his comrade.

"This cat? I used it as a shield," Cabaji carelessly stated as he dropped the lion to the ground, "to keep my clothes from getting dirty."

"Richie!" Mohji yelped with worry. "Hey Richie! Say something! Are you alright?!" Richie regained consciousness, but as he saw Cabaji glaring at him, he bolted for the nearest thing between him and the swordsman. "Richie! You bastard!" Mohji tried to punch Cabaji, but the swordsman dodged easily and kicked him away, his hands still in his pockets. "Out of the way!" Mohji roared as he sailed right at me.

"Nah, you're in my way, fuzzy," Randy chuckled as he swung a roundhouse kick into the beast tamer's face, sending him into a building and leaving a shallow crater in the wall.

"Captain Buggy," Cabaji said, breaking the short silence.

"Yes, Cabaji?" Buggy inquired.

"Please leave this to me," Cabaji appealed.

"Alright! Show them your acrobat show!" Buggy acquiesced. I could practically smell his shit-eating grin as he somehow made a unicycle appear under his feet and he leaped into the air while riding it, his blade drawn.

"I, Cabaji, Chief of Staff, take on Buggy's anger!" Cabaji announced as he charged right for me. He thrust his cutlass at me, but Zoro quickly stepped in and blocked the attack.

" _I'll_ clash swords with you," Zoro coolly said.

"It's an honor, Roronoa Zoro…" Cabaji commented, "To think I would get to slay you, as a swordsman myself."

"I'll leave this to you, Zoro," I said as I stepped aside. "This amateur has no chance against you." _"Well, without that nasty gut wound, Zoro doesn't have a handicap now."_

"Thanks Captain," Zoro said. "A fool like this won't stop me."

" **Acrobatics! Arsonist Technique!"** Cabaji yelled before tugging his scarf down and breathing flames right at Zoro's face. Zoro roared in pain as he staggered a bit from the heat. Cabaji capitalized on the moment by aiming a slash at the same spot Buggy had targeted and managing to cut into Zoro while his guard was down.

"ZORO!" I roared as Zoro dropped to one knee with his fresh wound. _"No! Why did it have to happen still?! Is this one of those self-fixing timeline things?"_

"What's wrong?" Cabaji smugly asked. "Did I cut you too deep?"

"That jerk! He's fighting dirty!" Nami commented.

"And you expected him to be a saint?" I quipped as I grit my teeth. "This jackass is gonna do all he can do beat Zoro, potshots and all."

" **Acrobatics!"** Cabaji declared as he stabbed the tip of his blade in the ground. **"Murder at the Steam Bath!"** He started spinning his blade as it dug into the street, kicking up a cloud of dust quickly.

"Acrobatics, my ass!" Zoro growled. "You're just making a dust cloud!" Cabaji lunged out of the cloud and chopped his blade down at Zoro's head, forcing him to block. Cabaji used the moment to kick Zoro's fresh wound, causing him to tumble and scream in pain again.

"He kicked his wound!" Nami gasped.

"What's wrong? A grown man yelling like that is disgraceful!" Cabaji mocked Zoro as he struggled to stand again. "Well? Now do you see how foolish it was to make an enemy of the Buggy Pirates?"

"He can't keep fighting like this!" Nami said as she looked on in horror. "That's a serious injury! It's a wonder he's still able to stand now!" She then turned to Randy. "Well, why aren't you doing anything?! He's gonna get killed!"

"Well, yeah, but this is his fight," I said, stupefying Nami, "He'd never forgive me for helping him unless he asks for it or someone interferes. Besides, this jackass won't kill him."

"Roronoa Zoro… is defeated!" Cabaji roared as he wheeled at Zoro, blade back with intent to kill.

"Annoying bastard!" Zoro snapped as he stood up. "Is poking at my wound… that much fun?!" Zoro simply stood there as Cabaji stabbed him again in the same spot, widening his wound much to Nami's horror and Randy's displeasure.

"Wh-Why didn't you dodge that?!" Nami begged as Cabaji spun around to face Zoro again.

"Is that enough of a handicap for you?" Zoro asked, turning himself to face Cabaji. "Now I'll show you the difference between you and me!"

"Couldn't have said it better, Zoro," I said, smiling as I leaned on the nearby wall.

"So, this is the real Roronoa Zoro, eh?" Cabaji asked as he started to sweat a bit. "You think you can mock me?"

"My swords aim to be the world's greatest!" Zoro resolved. "I can't lose even once to anyone who calls themselves a swordsman!"

"I see…" Cabaji said as Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji, "A strong revolve keeps you going... But never fear, wounds such as yours will be more than enough of an excuse for losing to me!"

"The hell with that! If I lose to someone like you with wounds this light, I won't have a future ahead of me!" Zoro said as he placed his white blade in his mouth.

"Why you…!" Cabaji growled as he popped a vein.

"Zoro's dream keeps him going," I commented, drawing Nami's attention for a bit. "And he made sure I knew it when we met. Not that I could have stopped him."

"I'm not going to keep going with this!" Nami declared. "You pirates can get yourselves as injured for all I care!" She started walking away. "It doesn't matter to me whether you guys win or lose!"

"It should, if we lose, Buggy's gonna kill you," I said bluntly, making Nami freeze for a moment.

"R-right…" Nami said in a hushed tone. "I… I'm just gonna use this opportunity to go steal their treasure and get the heck outta here!" She looked at me with a confident bravado. "Let's team up again if we ever get the chance! Seeya later! Good luck with the fight!"

"That girl…" I grumbled. _"She's got some real trust issues… not that I blame her."_

"Taste my ultimate acrobatic technique!" Cabaji declared as he sheathed his sword and produced many spinning tops. **"Acrobatics! Dance of 100 Kamikaze Tops!"** Cabaji flung his arms wide and sent the tops spiraling at Zoro, who easily cut the wooden toys in half. **"Acrobatics! A Hike in the Mountains!"** Cabaji then wheeled off, riding his unicycle up the side of a building.

"Jeegus, what kinda tire is that?" I asked as Zoro and I looked skyward to follow Cabaji. "Mountain Goat Hooves?"

" **Acrobatics! Fireworks in the Cool Summer Breeze!"** Cabaji declared as he jumped off the building and slowly started to fall above Zoro. **"Sting of the Unicycle!"** Cabaji pointed his blade's tip down as he started to fall right where Zoro was.

" **Ground Hugging Chop-Chop Cannon!"** Buggy roared as he launched his hand along the ground and aimed for Zoro's legs. "Cabaji! I'll hold Zoro down! Finish him off!"

"As you wish!" Cabaji agreed before Randy stomped down on Buggy's hand, smashing it into the stone street. Without Buggy's help, Zoro could lean away from Cabaji's impending down thrust, missing completely.

"Randy!" Zoro said, realizing what happened.

"D-Damn you!" Buggy snarled as he clutched his handless forearm in pain. _"This guy… that leg feels so heavy!"_

"Stay outta Zoro's fight, you damn clown," I grinned as Zoro struggled a bit to catch his breath.

-X-

"I can defeat you easily enough," Cabaji smugly bragged, "Even without my Captain's help!"

"Enough… I'm tired…" Zoro panted.

"Finally given up, have you?" Cabaji laughed. "Though I must say, I'm impressed you could fight with such injuries."

"I meant I'm tired… of your crappy-ass acrobatics!" Zoro snapped as he stood up again.

"Then I'll finish you off…" Cabaji snarled at the insult, "With my real sword skills!" Cabaji wheeled at Zoro, his hands on his hilt. "DIE!"

Zoro crossed his arms across his body, his blades pointed up. **"Oni…"** Zoro waited until Cabaji got close enough, and then leaped! **"GIRI!"** Cabaji didn't even have the time to react as all three of Zoro's swords cut him in quick succession, cutting him down and knocking him off balance.

"Cabaji!" Buggy yelped as I could only smile.

"We, the Buggy Pirates…" Cabaji muttered as he fell to the ground, "beaten by mere… sneak thieves?"

"We ain't sneak thieves…" Zoro corrected as he too fell to the ground, "We're pirates!" I smiled as he closed his eyes to rest. "Randy! I'm gonna take a nap!"

"You earned it, buddy," I said as I cracked my knuckles. "I'll take care of the rest!"

"You guys are pirates?!" Buggy echoed.

"Damn right! We'll be heading to the Grand Line soon enough," I resolved.

"Heh! That's not a simple voyage, for a dumbass bum like you!" Buggy spat out. "What're you gonna do in the Grand Line anyway? Go on a sightseeing tour?"

"I intend to conquer the Grand Line and become the Pirate King!" I declared despite Buggy's laughter.

"Get real, you flashy idiot!" Buggy snapped. "You?! King of the Pirates?! What does that make ME then, the Pirate GOD?! _I'm_ gonna be the King of the Pirates, and obtain all the treasures this world has to offer! Quit your dreaming!"

"Never, not even if you paid me!" I snapped back, sticking my tongue out at Buggy. "But that's beside the point." I assumed my fighting stance and grinned. "It's fightin' time!"

Buggy leered at me as he flicked his hands, somehow producing another set of eight knives in his fingers. "Damn you… seeing that straw hat of yours reminds me of him…" he grumbled, "And it pisses me off! Memories of that damn cheeky red-haired man?"

"My straw hat? Red-haired man… Oi, you didn't happen to know Red-Haired Shanks, did you?" I asked, despite knowing full well he did.

"Hm? Yeah, but why?" Buggy asked.

"Do you know where he is now?" I asked.

"Well, maybe I do, maybe I don't," Buggy taunted. "I dunno, I forget!"

"I'm just gonna go with you don't," I replied flatly.

"Well, screw you then!" Buggy snapped. "I'm just not enough of a nice guy to tell you what you want to know!"

"Then let's see if I can beat it outta you!" I retorted.

"Good luck, I'll kill you before you can!" Buggy laughed as he stomped his foot, causing a knife blade to snap out of his shoe. "I doubt you got one of those damn Logia fruits, or else you wouldn't have tried to catch my Buggy Ball! So that means I can cut you!"

"Well, you're right on that end," I agreed as Buggy snapped another shoe-knife.

" **Chop-Chop Rice Cracker!"** Buggy roared as he kicked off into the air before sending his legs spiraling at me like a buzzsaw. It was easy to dodge, I just jumped into the air. "Too bad you can't dodge in mid-air, kid!" He growled as he threw his daggers at me.

"Too bad, because I can! **GEPPOU!** " I shouted as I kicked off the air and shot sideways.

"Oh, quite interesting!" Buggy mocked as his legs returned to him.

"Wish I could say the same," I joked. **"Hard Air Pistol!"** I was a bit surprised when Buggy noticed what I was doing and he slid to the side as the air punch just barely grazed him.

"How interesting… your Devil Fruit must control the air then!" Buggy said as he turned back to me.

"WRONG!" I roared as I ran at Buggy. **"Hard Air…"** I swung my arm out in a lariat as I attempted to take his head off.

" **Chop-Chop Quick Escape!"** Buggy yelped as his head separated from his body.

" **LARIAT!"** I roared as I sailed past Buggy's head, landing on some of the surrounding rubble.

"Not good enough, airhead!" Buggy laughed as his head reattached.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to compensate for that Chop-Chop body of yours," I said, rolling my neck a bit as Buggy flicked more daggers into his hands.

" **Chop-Chop Cannon!"** Buggy yelled as he shot his hand at me, dagger tips forward.

" **Tekken,"** I held my hand up, fingers slightly splayed as the daggers slid right through the gaps, but the hand stopped cold.

"You flashy bastard!" Buggy snapped. **"Separate!"** I was caught off guard for a moment when Buggy's thumb and forefinger split away from the rest of the hand and took the dagger with them, dropping the dagger between his index and middle fingers. "Ha-ha! I got you, airhead!" Buggy laughed as I felt blood trickle down my face near my scar. "OW OW OW! WHAT THE HELL?!" Buggy roared in pain as he saw me gripping down on what was left of his hand I had a hold on.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" I roared as I heard the bones in his hand creaking.

"What's wrong? Can't handle a little scratch?" Buggy mocked to hide his pain.

"How dare you… HOW DARE YOU DAMAGE THIS HAT?!" I hissed. "This is my treasure! I will fucking end you for damaging Shank's gift to me!"

"Shanks'… You mean that shabby thing is Shanks' straw hat?!" Buggy realized as I threw his hand back to him. "No wonder it seemed familiar… Then I should spear that thing this time! **Chop-Chop Cannon!** "

" **Intersection Technique!"** I roared. Buggy then realized his mistake as I caught his arm between my knee and elbow, breaking some of the bones in his forearm, from what I could tell.

"YOU FLASHY BASTARD!" Buggy howled in pain. **"SEPARATE!"** I realized too late I had let my anger cloud my mind as Buggy's daggers speared through the side of the hat's dome, and I dropped the rest of his arm as he called both back. "This shitty thing ain't treasure, airhead. Treasure is gold, silver, and jewels! Precious metals and display their owner's grandeur! This ratty thing…" He tossed the hat to the ground and started stomping on it. "IS WORTHLESS! WORTHLESS! WORTHLESS!"

"GET YOUR FUCKING FEET OFF MY TREASURE!" I roared as I shot at Buggy again. **"HARD AIR LARIAT!"**

" **Chop-Chop Quick Escape!"** Buggy said before I kicked off the air and drove my foot into his stomach, sending his body flying away from my straw hat. "Gah…"

"You motherfucking bastard," I growled out. "I don't give two shits about what history you and Shanks shared now… Never call him your comrade again! You can't compare to him even if you had a thousand years to work!"

"I… don't care…" Buggy gasped for air as he got back to his feet. "He's the one person I'll never forgive! I'll curse him for the rest of my life! I'll never forgive him!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Whoo! Halfway there!**_

 **Randy: You'll be praying if you finish that song or damage my hat further!**

 **Luffy: Yeah, jerkface!**

 _ **A/N: ...how did you get here, Luffy?**_

 **Luffy: Shishishi! I dunno, I just did!**

 **A/N: Oh god, he's becoming Deadpool!**

 **Randy: What have you unleashed?**

 _ **A/N: Anyway, onto the reviews!**_

 _ **To MusicOfMadness:**_

 **Randy: Am I really that sassy?**

 _ **A/N: I guess so.**_

 _ **To VoidGlitch:**_

 **Luffy: Shishishi! Yeah, that'd be kinda funny! They'd think Randy was North and South at the same time!**

 **Randy: ...this is going to be a trip.**

 _ **A/N: Yeah, I kinda have to get through some plot before I can really start to shine. But don't fret, things will be a-changin'!**_

 _ **To JayH120:**_

 **Randy: Well, I am smarter book-wise than Luffy, and I'm not Luffy. Of course I'm going to handle things differently.**

 _ **A/N: Besides, there's the thing where Randy won't know how things are going to go if he does change things. There's a fine line between using future knowledge wisely and haphazardly. As for pairings, I have a few ideas in mind, but nothing set in stone yet. But Randy, much like most normal people, would feel attraction to someone like Nami and might try to have a romantic relationship over the course of this adventure.**_

 _ **To JJsanoguel98:**_

 _ **A/N: As I said, there may be pairings. I'm just not 100% sure yet on who I'll be pairing up. That said, I do have a few favorite girls I feel need more attention and I would like to personally hook up with.**_

 **Randy: And yet, here I am, fulfilling your fantasies.**

 _ **A/N: ...shut up.**_

 _ **To AngelFaux:**_

 _ **A/N: You'll be seeing more now! And hopefully soon as well!**_

 _ **To RinnaZevran1987:**_

 **Randy: Thanks.**

 _ **A/N: And that's it for review responses! Leave a review, and I'll make Randy compete with Luffy in an eating contest!**_

 **Luffy: There's a contest for eating?**

 **Randy: Don't get him started!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Well, here we are again! I'd have had this up sooner, but other things popped up.**_

 **Randy: Like you screwing up the first upload of this.  
**

 _ **A/N: Quiet you, or I'll send you to Momoiro Island.**_

 **Randy: ...you wouldn't dare.  
**

 _ **A/N: TRY ME.**_

 **Randy: ...shit.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, only the characters I create and any additional character exploration**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8: Randy vs. Captain Buggy**_

* * *

"You motherfucking bastard," I growled out. "I don't give two shits about what history you and Shanks shared now… Never call him your comrade again! You can't compare to him even if you had a thousand years to work!"

"I… don't care…" Buggy gasped for air as he got back to his feet. "He's the one person I'll never forgive! I'll curse him for the rest of my life! I'll never forgive him!"

I quickly surveyed the area as I squared off with Buggy. Behind him, Boodle and Zoro were sleeping peacefully, and Cabaji was still out cold from his fight with Zoro.

"In all my life, I've never been as mad at someone as him!" Buggy continued as I kicked up my hat into my hand. "That bastard Shanks stole enormous riches from me! I don't know how you two are connected, but I can say whatever I want about him!"

As I slid my hat into my vest, Buggy started to reminisce about his time on Roger's crew (not that he said specified that part to me of course), and how he and Shanks always got into fights about things like which Pole of the world was colder. He covered the day he found his first treasure map, the treasure of which was at the bottom of the sea, and how the crew had found the Chop-Chop Fruit among an enemy's treasure. Buggy had made a fake and ate it to make the rest of the crew think it was gone, and he'd planned to sell the Devil Fruit so he could hire a crew and go find the sunken treasure. However, in his haste to hide the Devil Fruit and map from an unknowingly nosy Shanks, he'd hid it in his mouth and swallowed it whole, cursing him and preventing him from getting the treasure on the map.

"Okay, you have no damn good reason to be mad at Shanks," I said plainly as Buggy flinched in anger.

"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU FLASHY BASTARD?!" Buggy erupted.

"Let's count the reasons, shall we?" I asked, counting on my fingers. "One: Shanks didn't even KNOW about the map in the first place. Two: You were going to HIRE a crew anyway, so you could just have someone else get the treasure for you. Three, and most importantly: WHO THE FUCK HIDES A DEVIL FRUIT IN THEIR MOUTH?!"

"SHUT UP!" Buggy roared as he drew fistfuls of daggers again. "…although I admit in hindsight that last one's a good point, BUT STILL! Because of him, my life's plan was delayed by ten years! And then I had a revelation! If under water's no good, then I'll obtain all the treasures on the land! ...Using this Chop-Chop power." He started levitating his upper body while he still appeared to be locked onto me. "That's why I won't let _anyone_ who steals my treasure live!" Buggy cackled like a madman as he shot past me and right at Nami behind me. "Let go of my treasure!"

"Crap! He spotted me!" Nami yelped as she tried to run with her large cloth sack full of stolen treasure.

"Don't think you can escape me, Nami!" Buggy railed as I grinned at his unmoving lower half. "I'm going to flashily chop you up!" And he froze in the air as I stomped his family jewels into the ground.

"Wow, you are really dumb," I chuckled as his torso hit the ground as well. "Forgetting that your fight is with ME _and_ leaving part of you wide open for attack?"

"M-my balls… balls…" Buggy squeaked.

"Now then, how about you focus on me first?" I said, cracking my knuckles. "Nami, you might as well drop the treasure for now and hide."

"Shut up already!" Nami seethed as she backed up a bit. "Drop the treasure for now? Why should I leave behind my treasure and hide?!"

" _Your_ treasure?!" Buggy groaned as he started slowly picking himself up.

"Duh! I'm a thief who only steals from pirates, and I just stole from one!" Nami clarified. "Which means this treasure is mine now!"

"Well, that's fairly sound logic aside from needing to hide," I agreed.

"Nonsense! That's _MY_ treasure!" Buggy raved. "Do you think stealing it makes it yours?! Honestly! What kind of upbringing did you have?!" I noticed there was a bit of a look in Nami's eyes, despite her impassive face.

"A criminal, trying to lecture another criminal? Ridiculous!" Nami countered.

"What?!" Buggy asked in disbelief.

"I haven't fallen so low I need to be corrected by pirates!" Nami proudly stated before sticking her tongue out at Buggy.

"I hope you're ready to face the consequences, Nami…" Buggy said as he ground his teeth. **"Chop-Chop…"** My attention was drawn to Buggy's lower half as it stood back up. **"FESTIVAL!"** Buggy's body split up into large pieces, his hands somehow hiding away all but two of the daggers he had. The pieces that were formerly his legs shot back to where Buggy was around Nami. "Try to help your friend if you can, airheaded brat!"

"You asked for it," I sighed as I turned to his feet. "Dumbass." I stomped hard on his feet, causing him to yell out in pain. I followed up by picking up a foot and smashing it between my fists, eliciting another yell from Buggy. I finished my trifecta by letting the foot float for a moment before moving my knee and elbow to move below and above respectively. **"Intersection Technique!"** Buggy yelped in pain as I caught his foot between my elbow and knee at a blinding speed. "You might remember that one from earlier."

"WOULD YOU KNOCK IT OFF?!" Buggy fulminated.

"No, _you_ knock it off!" Nami yelled as she swung her treasure bag at Buggy's head. However, Nami quickly realized her error when Buggy's hands caught the bag.

"Thanks for the treasure back!" Buggy mocked as he gripped the bag with his free-floating hands.

"Let go! Let go! That's mine!" Nami said as she tried to shake the bag free.

"Let go?! This is _my_ treasure!" Buggy retorted. " _You_ let go!" I dashed at Buggy as I saw him drop the bag and point the daggers at Nami. "DIE!"

" **DYNAMIC ENTRY!"** I announced proudly as I slammed Buggy's face into the treasure sack with a flying side kick. "Man, I always wanted to do that!" I grinned as the treasure scattered onto the street and Buggy's face dug a ditch in the ground. "And that was for the mayor, you jackass!"

"Th-thanks, I owe you one…" Nami slowly said.

"No problem," I said, waving her off. "I'll always be there for a friend. Anyway, we should go get the map and clean up that treasure."

"Right!" Nami said, as Buggy's head and cape floated off the ground and produced a rather menacing aura.

"This isn't over yet, airhead!" Buggy seethed as I flicked my wrist to Nami. Her eyes followed where I was pointing and she smirked a bit.

"Jeez, you're a tough one," I commented as Nami took a few steps back in her reasonable fear.

"How dare you flashily do this to me!" Buggy rumbled as Nami ran off. "You'll pay for this! Assemble! Chop-Chop Parts!" I only bust out laughing as Buggy was left in a super chibi-mode with only his hands, feet, and head available to him. "Huh?!"

"Looking for these?!" Nami asked as she tugged on the rope binding the rest of Buggy's parts together.

"My parts!" Buggy realized as I finished laughing.

"Nice work, Nami," I said, wiping a tear away. "Glad you got my signal. Now, I'm gonna blow you away, Buggy!" I flashed backwards, gaining some running room as I held my arms back.

"S-stop!" Buggy begged as I charged at him at a visible, yet high speed.

" **Hard Air… BAZOOKA!"** I slammed my palms into Buggy's face, making a huge gust of air that literally helped blow him away with the force of my impact.

" _Holy crap… what kinda monster is this guy?"_ Nami thought as her eyes widened at literally seeing someone move the air around them. _"Is his Devil Fruit really that strong?"_ She dropped the rope after finding Buggy's parts had stopped moving and gathered up the treasure in two smaller sacks.

"Well, that wasn't even a good challenge," I said as I pulled my straw hat out of my vest.

" _Where did he even keep that?"_ Nami asked as I softly ran my hands over the spots Buggy cut through. "It's all torn up now…"

"Well, I can still wear it," I sighed. "I'll just need to patch it up a bit. But I doubt this town's got a sewing kit somewhere."

"If you want… I can fix it for you later," Nami said a bit offhandedly as I put my hat back on.

"You mean that Nami?" I asked, turning to her.

"Anyway, I divided up the treasure into these two bags," Nami said, changing the subject as she held up the sacks. "You wouldn't mind carrying half of it for little ol' me, right?"

"Sure, sure," I said as I walked over to her. "I bet Buggy's got some good stuff in there."

"I'll give him this, he's got a real eye for quality treasure!" Nami cheered as she rubbed the treasure bags against her cheeks. "This should all go for no less than ten million Beri!" She looked at me with a bit of an ashamed look before reaching for the map of the Grand Line. "Here you go."

"You're just giving this to me?" I asked.

"It's the map of the Grand Line," Nami stated. "Didn't you want it?"

"Oh? And what's with the sudden change of heart?" I asked as I eyed her carefully.

"You _did_ save me, after all," Nami said as she turned her head to the side.

"To be honest…" I smiled as I grabbed Nami's hand instead of the map. "I think it'd be better if you kept it for now."

"Eh?" Nami asked, blushing from the hand-touch.

"After all, we're going to be working together, and you're a better navigator than I probably ever will be," I continued, smiling warmly at her. "So I'll trust you with the map, Nami. Just like we'll be trusting you from now on."

"D-don't get the wrong idea!" Nami stammered as she pulled her hand back from mine. "I'm not joining your pirate crew! Working with you two is just looking very profitable right now!"

"Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night," I said, "We _are_ just partners, right?"

"Right!" Nami assured, mostly for herself, as I walked over to Zoro's sleeping form.

"Oi, Zoro, naptime's over," I said, gently tapping his shoulder.

"Did we take care of everything?" Zoro asked as he got to his knees, holding his head.

"Yep, Buggy's defeated, and we got the map and Nami's gonna be our Navigator for a while," I said, causing Zoro to glare at her before turning a bit blue.

"Oh crap, I think I'm a little low on blood…" he groaned. "I don't think I can walk…"

"Of course not! You wouldn't be _human_ if you two could walk with an injury like that!" Nami commented.

"And why'd you include me?" I asked.

"Cause you're the most suspicious of all right now!" Nami snapped. "Anyway, we gotta help the mayor…"

"Zoro, gather your swords, I'll go wake up the mayor," I said, standing up to go do just that.

"You there!" a voice said as I saw the mob that intended to fight against Buggy's crew. "Are you outsiders?!"

"Well, yeah, who are you all?" I asked.

"We're this town's citizens!" the blue-haired man I was talking to replied. "Did the pirates have a falling-out or something? If you know anything, tell us!"

"Oh, it's just the citizens!" Nami said in relief. "I thought they were more of the pirates!"

"Oh, mayor!" one of the citizens said as the mob realized the mayor was asleep. "Is he alright? Did the pirates do this?"

"No, I actually did that," I admitted bluntly, knowing Nami was halfway to throttling me as the crowd looked at me with murderous glares. "…that sounded bad, didn't it?"

"No shit!" Nami snapped. "You didn't need to put it like that!"

"What did you do to our mayor?!" one of the mob demanded to know as they quickly pulled up to Nami and I.

"I just put him to sleep so he wouldn't get hurt fighting Buggy!" I defended as the crowd softened a bit. "And we took care of Buggy too!"

"Are you three bounty hunters?" another asked, the crowd still somewhat on edge. "Or thieves?"

"Well… not exactly…" I said, backing up to Nami as Zoro sat up. "However… I don't think you'll like my honest answer…"

"You're pirates, aren't you?!" one citizen spoke up, suddenly putting the rest of the crowd back on edge.

I sighed as I looked to Zoro in defeat, and Nami looked on in fear at my answer. "Yes, we're pirates," I admitted.

"JUST LIKE WE THOUGHT!" the crowd snapped.

"You idiot!" Nami fumed at me as Zoro only laughed at my honesty. "Why'd you tell them?!"

"It's the truth," I whined. "And one thing you'll find with me is I'm honest to a fault."

"You're honest to the highest level of stupidity I've seen!" Nami roared as I walked over to Zoro.

"Don't think we'll hold back because you're kids!" another citizen said as I grinned to him.

"What now, Captain? Doesn't look like they'll hear us out," Zoro commented.

"Duh, we run!" I yelled as I picked up Zoro and a treasure bag and Nami grabbed the other bag and we bolted for the docks.

"How dare you hurt our beloved mayor!" the crowd roared as they ran after us.

"You just made things worse!" Nami snapped as we headed for an alleyway.

"I tried, but this town's too good!" I laughed.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Nami inquired.

"They really love their mayor," I stated as I beamed. "Any other excuses would have just landed the same result! Down this alley!"

"Got it!" Nami said as we turned a hard left and much to my satisfaction, we jumped over Chou-Chou. "Chou-Chou?"

"Thanks Chou-Chou!" I lauded as Chou-Chou provided interference for us. "I owe you a bag of food when we meet again!"

-X-

"That was scary!" Nami panted out as we stopped at the docks next to her stolen ship. "We managed to escape thanks to Chou-Chou! Why do we have to put up with this?!"

"Cause you're working with Pirates, Nami," I returned. "Besides, we're all set as far as things go, and we can leave."

"Well, yeah, that's true, but…" Nami argued.

"Well, at least your boat's bigger than ours," I said, changing the subject.

"Not that it's that good," Nami replied. "I stole it from some idiot pirates."

"That's a big mouth you got!" a voice said as three pirates who collectively had a resemblance to the Three Stooges revealed themselves from the boat. "Been waitin' for ya, thief girl!"

"Never thought you'd run into us here, didja?" "Curly Joe" said as Nami laughed nervously.

"Friends of yours?" I dryly asked.

"Not really…" Nami admitted.

"Well, we're not friends, but we _do_ have a history!" "Moe" said as he walked towards me. "So, you have friends, huh? Guess we'll hafta punish you too! You're gonna learn how bad it is to steal other people's stuff." He looked to Zoro and I could only smile in anticipation. "Hey you! Quit ignorin' me!"

He slapped Zoro's head a few times, drawing a very deathly glare from my First Mate. "Huh?" he asked, immediately drawing a panicked phobic reaction from the trio as they shrieked in terror and swam away.

"What's with them?" Nami asked.

"I think they got on Zoro's bad side," I laughed. It didn't take us too much longer to get sailing.

"Isn't that Buggy's Jolly Roger on your sail?" Zoro asked.

"Well, yeah, didn't you see Buggy's mark on that one guy's hat?" I added.

"It doesn't matter, I'll get rid of it sometime," Nami casually stated.

"Hey! Wait! Young'uns!" we heard Boodle call out as we looked back at the docks.

"Yeah, Mayor Boodle?" I called back as he caught his breath.

"Thanks! We're in your debt!" Boodle said, his eyes running with tears of joy.

"Don't worry about it!" I laughed loudly. "Just take it easy and live on!"

"Hey, where's the other bag of treasure?" Nami asked, only just realizing what I did.

"Oh, about that… I left the one you gave me back there for them," I casually stated.

"But that bag alone is worth more than five million Beri!" Nami snapped as she leaned over the side of her boat.

"They're gonna have to rebuild, and that money will help them do just that," I sighed as I leaned back over the rail and looked up at Nami. "Besides, we can just steal more if you're so worried about it."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Nami shrieked. "That was _MY_ treasure you gave away! Do you know how much I suffered to steal that treasure?!" I immediately regretted my decision for just a moment as Nami tried to shove my head underwater. "Why did you do that?!"

"Hey, Nami, quit it!" I snapped as she struggled to try to dunk my head. "Do you really want to drown me?"

"That's the whole idea!" Nami snapped as she kept trying her best, despite my struggles.

"You want it so bad, you go back and get it!" I snapped back.

"No, _you_ go get it!" Nami countered.

"Hell no, we're too far away now!" I counter-countered as Zoro could only laugh at us. "If I tried, I'd probably die!"

"Do that again, and I'll make sure you die!" Nami finished as she stopped trying to drown me.

"Well, for better or worse, looks like a navigator's joined our journey," Zoro commented.

* * *

 _ **Buggy Arc: Completed**_

* * *

 _ **A/N: Finally! Some good progress!**_

 **Randy: And it only took you a month.**

 _ **A/N: Momoiro Islaaaaaand...**_

 **Luffy: What's so bad about that island?**

 **Randy: ...you are so innocent. Never change, Luffy.**

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks! I mean, there has to be a line that Randy has to be a sensible person.**_

 **Randy: Thank you.**

 _ **A/N: That being said, I recently learned that Luffy's social skills, or lack thereof, are more likely than not a result of him spending his entire childhood learning to kick butt. It's happened in other characters before, such as Sousuke from Full Metal Panic!, where their focus on training left them without a normal childhood. Why that didn't happen to Randy... I'll explain later.**_

 **Randy: You better.**

 _ **To JayH120:**_

 _ **A/N: Yeah, Randy's moveset is a mix-and-match of Luffy's moveset and Rokushiki. I had to give him a moveset that covered ranged and melee as well as allowing him to get close quickly for reason that will be revealed later.**_

 **Randy: Yeah, we're here to keep you guessing!**

 _ **To sarahgri99:**_

 _ **A/N: Welcome to the fold! Yeah, when I had this story in mind, it was a concept I never saw explored. And I figured, why not take a shot?**_

 **Randy: That being said, being a pioneer means you don't know what NOT to do, or what would work. This entire fic will be trial and error.**

 _ **To Nowdied:**_

 _ **A/N: Eeeeeh, it's a possibility. I'm unsure yet.**_

 **Randy: Well, I hope there's one thing you don't do. And I am NOT jinxing it.**

 _ **To AngelFaux:**_

 _ **A/N: That means I'm doing my job! Mrahahahahahaha!**_

 **Randy: ...you got him going again.**

 _ **To tanithlipsky:**_

 **Luffy: Shishishi! Thanks!**

 _ **To Zaralann:**_

 _ **A/N: One - I haven't got to a good point to vary from canon, but it's coming. Two - Thank you.**_

 **Randy: And that's all for now! Thanks for the reviews, and please, send more in! We welcome any and all feedback!**

 **Luffy: Oh, and send more meat!**

 _ **A/N: Please, he's eating me out of house and home!**_

 **Randy: ...you _do_ realize he's stuck in limbo?**

 _ **A/N: That's not stopping him.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: And we're back for another installment!**_

 **Randy: Wow, within the same month? You're getting better at this.**

 _ **A/N: Thanks!**_

 **Randy: It doesn't go to say you got this in just before the month ended.**

 _ **A/N: ...it's February at least. The shortest month of the year.**_

 **Randy: Let's get going before I make him do his imitation of a Negative Horo.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. I only own the characters I create and any additional character exploration.**_

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9: Gaimon's Island**_

* * *

"And done," Nami said as she snipped off the remaining threads from her needle with her teeth. "Here's your hat, almost as good as new."

"Thanks, Nami, this means a lot to me," I answered, gently rubbing my fingers over the new stitching.

"Just be more careful with that," Nami chided as she sat down on her craft. "It was just a patch job, so any rough stuff will just tear them back open."

"Yeah…" I replied, reminiscing a bit.

"Aaaah, what a good nap," Zoro yawned as he stretched like a house cat. "Man, I'm kinda hungry."

"Nami, mind if we have some food?" I asked.

"No! It's your fault that we left before you had a chance to get supplies!" Nami retorted. "You got the villagers all mad and then we had to run, remember?"

"Eh, don't sweat the small things," Zoro quipped.

"Yeah, things have a funny way of working out," I added as I noticed something in the distance. "Speak of the devil…"

"Is that an island?" Zoro asked as Nami grabbed a pair of binoculars.

"Yeah, but it looks uninhabited," Nami said as she gazed at the island. "It may as well be a worthless stop."

"Says you," I said as I started rowing towards it. "Even if it's uninhabited, there's got to be animals or fruit or something we can eat."

"And maybe a source of fresh water, too," Zoro added as he relaxed and let me do all the work.

"Hey, get back here!" Nami hissed at us. However, despite her grievances, she followed us to the island's shore.

"Well, maybe we'll find someone here who can help us," I said as I hopped out of our boat.

"I doubt it, with an island this isolated, there's probably no one here," Nami complained.

"Not unless they've been marooned," I pointed out. "Hey Zoro, c'mon, let's go explore!" Zoro of course, didn't respond, because he fell asleep. "Hey, didn't you just take a nap?!"

"Let him sleep, he's still injured," Nami said, dope slapping me. "Unlike you who somehow healed in less than a day and then consumed your weight in meat."

"Hey, I get hungry after fights," I bantered. "Time to go see if I can find some locals."

"What locals? This place is uninhabited!" Nami snapped before a strange fusion of fox and rooster walked out from the forest. "What… is that?"

"Looks like a chimera of a fox and chicken," I said, looking the creature over as it bawk-bawk-bawked along the way. "Mainly fox, with the chicken's cockscomb, tail feathers, and that dangly thing under its jaw."

"What a weird animal…" Nami said as I noticed a slithering shape.

"Hey, look at this," I said, picking up a white-furred snake with rabbit ears. "It's a furry snake with rabbit ears."

"What the hell? How do you even get a mutant snake like that?!" Nami yelped as I let it go.

"And… I'd call that a Lion-Pig," I said, pointing to a passing by pig with a lion's mane. "Though it's almost all Pig…"

"This… this island is so weird…" Nami said, shivering a bit as I started walking towards the deeper part of the forest. "Hey, where are you going?!"

"Deeper into the forest, where else?" I asked rhetorically.

"Well, d-don't leave me here alone!" Nami shrieked as she ran up behind me and followed behind closely. "What is your problem, Randy?"

"What problem?" I asked as we continued to walk.

"This… this half-hazard exploring a place that could kill us!" Nami snapped. "We don't know what other weird animals are here, and I'm starting to think that this place might be haunted."

"Haunted? Nami, you've been listening to too many drunken sailors," I said calmly as we continued deeper into the woods. "Next you're gonna tell me someone came here and was strangled by their own mustache."

"Hey, that only happened on the cursed Treasure Island!" Nami barked.

"Maybe that's where we landed," I said. "But I'm not scared of any supposed curse."

"Try saying that when your head suddenly turns into a boar's," Nami quipped as she bumped into me. "Why'd you stop?!"

"We're surrounded," I said as red eyes started appearing from the shadows around us.

"D-do you think it's more of those weird animals?" Nami asked as she turned around to try to see who or what was eyeing us. However, a drop of something dripped onto her neck, making her shriek in terror. "What was that?!"

"What was what?" I asked as a bat-sized panda with bat wings screeched and flew between us.

"Leave this place…" we heard a voice ominously moan.

"Who's there?!" I demanded as I searched for the voice's origin.

"Leave!" the voice demanded in turn.

"Where's it coming from?" Nami asked as she started to look as well.

"I am this island's protective god!" the voice continued. "Leave this island at once if you value your lives!"

"A protective god, huh?" I asked, but playing along for now.

"You guys are pirates, aren't you?" the voice asked.

"That's right," I confirmed.

"Pirates, just like I thought…" the voice agreed.

"Why would a god ask something like that?" Nami realized.

"Listen! Just try taking another step in the forest!" the voice dared us. "The instant you do, you'll receive my divine judgement!"

"Is that a dare?" I commented, "Because I LOVE dares."

"Don't encourage him!" Nami snapped, though I couldn't tell if it was at me or the "God". Nami stepped forward to slap me, tripping a rope in her half-angered state.

"Get down!" I bellowed as I dropped Nami to the ground just in time for the wooden stakes to sail over us. "No 'god' would resort to using man-made traps." I stood up as another volley of stakes flew at me. **"Tekkai."** The wood splintered against my girded body as I started scanning the forest. "Alright, anything else?" I was answered by a gunshot and the feeling of a bullet striking my iron-like chest. "No seriously, anything else?"

"What the hell?!" Nami and "God" exclaimed as the bullet dropped to the ground.

"How did you do that?!" I heard the "God" exclaim as my eyes locked on the origin. I saw the pistol drop to the ground right next to what looked like an untrimmed green shrubbery on top of an non-lidded chest.

"I'm quite a strong fellow," I said as I walked over and picked up the pistol, grinning as I saw the shrub sweat. "You could even say I have an iron body, 'God of the Forest'." The shrub jumped to life as it ran off, sprouting feet from the chest that made up its pot.

"It's running?!" Nami yelped as I flashed behind the shrub and grabbed it by its leaves.

"It's a person," I revealed as the shrub-like person's feet flailed hopelessly in the air.

"How are you bulletproof?" the shrub-man asked. "Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"

"Well, yeah, I did, but that's not what makes me bulletproof," I replied as I set the shrub-man down. "So, what are you, a jack-in-the-box?"

"Well, actually, it's a tad ironic," the shrub-man replied. "I _am_ stuck in a box, and my name's Ja-NO, I'M NOT JACK! My name's Gaimon!"

"So Gaimon, how'd you get stuck in that box?" Nami asked.

"Well, it was twenty years ago when I got stuck in this box," Gaimon sighed. "You couldn't possibly understand what I've been through."

"Twenty years?!" Nami echoed in astonishment. "You've been living here alone for twenty years?"

"So why don't we help you get outta there?" I asked.

"It's useless by now," Gaimon replied. "Look at me. I've not been able to cut my hair for twenty years, so I have a unibrow, a beard, and hair that looks like a shrub! If that's what my hair did, imagine what happened to my body! Twenty years of growing into every crevice, every nook, every cranny of this box! My body's grown to fit this box perfectly, so even if I could get out, my body wouldn't work right for years!"

"How did you even get to this island in the first place?" Nami asked.

"You two are pirates, right?" Gaimon asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, but we mostly stopped here to see if we could resupply," I replied, noting how Gaimon's expression lightened immensely.

"I'm not a pirate, I'm just working with him," Nami explained.

"Well, I actually used to be a pirate too!" Gaimon revealed. "The thrill of adventure, the freedom of the open seas… that's what I loved about being a pirate! Do you guys have a map for your adventure?"

"Yeah, we just got a map of the Grand Line," I said, beaming with pride. "I'm going to find the One Piece and become the Pirate King!"

"You… you're going to the Grand Line?! To find the One Piece?!" Gaimon shockingly repeated. "C-Can I see the map?"

"Sure Gaimon," Nami said as she pulled out the map from who knows were and unfurled it for Gaimon.

"…well, I can't read maps anyway!" Gaimon laughed. "I can't tell where the Grand Line is on this at all!"

"Well, it's actually pretty simple," I replied, pointing to the map. "There are two primary oceans in this world, separated by the Red Line. In turn, those two oceans are further divided by two places called the Calm Belt, where there's no wind or waves at all. In between the Calm Belt is the ocean where the One Piece resides, the Grand Line."

"You make it sound so easy," Gaimon sighed. "The Grand Line is also called 'The Pirate's Graveyard', and for good reason. Back when I was a pirate, I saw crews that came back from the Grand Line. Every one of them had lost their spirits and looked half-dead. Their faces were constantly in pain and fear, like they'd been attacked by a monster. They didn't even have to say it, you could just tell from their faces the horrors they faced in the Grand Line!" Nami swallowed audibly as I only smirked. "I don't really have any other proof, but the rumors surrounding the Grand Line only make things worse! It's been twenty years since the dawning of the Great Pirate Era, and the One Piece might not even be real, just a myth Roger said before he died to spite the Marines."

"That's a load of crap!" I blurted out, shocking Gaimon and shifting the conversation. "The One Piece DOES exist, on the last island on the Grand Line, Raftel! I don't know what it is, but that's half the adventure, right? Not knowing exactly what's ahead, but knowing what you want to find… that's a true romantic adventure!"

"Kid… you really know how to speak to the pirate in me…" Gaimon said as he wiped away the tears.

"Getting back to the point, Gaimon, what happened to you?" Nami asked, railroading us back to the real subject.

"Well, you see, I came here twenty years ago, with my pirate crew, and we searched this entire island for three weeks, looking for a treasure that was supposed to be here," Gaimon said, Nami's eyes lighting up at the mere mention of treasure.

"But all we found was an empty broken treasure chest," Gaimon continued as Nami looked a bit crestfallen. "We were just about to leave when I decided to check one last area really quick. It was a small cliff in the middle of the island that we hadn't climbed, so I decided to check it out. Much to my surprise, I found it!" Nami was hooked again, while I looked as calm as I could.

"I tried to call out to my crew, but the place I was gripping broke off, and I fell, knocking myself out cold when I hit. By the time I woke up, I realized I was stuck in this box. As I struggled and crawled to the shore, I saw my crew left me behind. Despite that now I had the treasure all to myself, I couldn't reach it like this!"

"So, no one else aside from us came to this island for that whole twenty years?" I asked.

"No, many people have come here," Gaimon answered, gripping his pistol. "They were all pirates, looking to take the treasure for themselves!"

"And that's where the 'God of the Forest' bit comes in," I concluded. "You used that to scare the pirates away."

"Yes, because I'm the one that found that treasure, so it's mine!" Gaimon agreed. "I'll protect that treasure with my life!"

"Well, how about we help you get the treasure down?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Nami concurred. "We'll help you get that treasure, Gaimon!"

"You two… I'm so glad I didn't misjudge you," Gaimon said as he sniffled.

We made our way to the cliff Gaimon spoke of, and it was quite high. "Here it is. It's been so long since I've been here last."

"And why didn't you ask for help before?" I inquired.

"Because I couldn't trust anyone up until now!" Gaimon replied. "You two are the first pirates to come here not looking for treasure!"

"I told you I'm not a pirate," Nami huffed.

"Regardless, I'll head on up there and bring it down," I said, smiling as I took a few steps back. **"Geppou!"** Nami and Gaimon were astonished to see me kicking off the air and ascending quickly like I was running up a flight of stairs.

"He… He can fly too?!" Gaimon barked in surprise.

"Randy… what _are_ you?" Nami pondered as I made it to the top.

"Yep, there's five treasure chests up here, Gaimon," I said as I opened the first one.

"That's great!" Gaimon happily cried out. "Drop them down!"

"…no," I denied solemnly.

"No?! What the hell Randy?!" Nami snapped. "Stop joking around and drop the treasure already!"

"Forget about it…" Gaimon said. "It's fine, miss."

"What? How can you say that?!" Nami interrogated. "That's your treasure up there! Why shouldn't he bring it down?"

"Straw Hat… You're a good kid…" Gaimon said as tears welled up in his eyes. "I… I always suspected… the possibility… I thought about it so many times… and I didn't want it to be true… The treasure chests… are empty, aren't they?"

Nami gripped her shirt as I nodded slowly. "Yeah, they're all empty Gaimon," I confirmed. "Sorry."

"No, don't be sorry…" Gaimon countered. "The treasure was real… the map didn't lie… but someone else got to it first!"

"The treasure you guarded for twenty years…" Nami said wistfully. "Was just a bunch of empty chests…"

"Hey, at least we figured it out now!" I said, trying to put a bright spin on things. "Rather than Gaimon waiting another twenty years and dying without knowing!"

"Straw Hat…" Gaimon blubbered.

"Randy…" Nami muttered.

"Even if this treasure's gone, the One Piece isn't. Gaimon, how about you join my crew?" I asked. "We'll find the One Piece together!"

"Straw Hat…" Gaimon said as I climbed down the Cliffside. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Why not?" I asked as I felt my foot sink into the cliff. "What the hell!?"

"Randy!" Nami yelled as she and Gaimon saw me vanish into the Cliffside.

"Straw Hat! Can you hear me?" Gaimon called, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Uh, yeah, I can hear you," I called out. "But I think I found something important."

"A secret passage?" Nami asked as she saw a section of the cliff push forward. "So, the treasure might be here after all!"

"Wow, this thing's well crafted," I said, looking at the opened door. "Someone went to all this trouble to make this door look exactly like the cliff's side."

"How'd you fall through?" Gaimon asked.

I pointed up to the spot I fell in, and there was a green, rotted frame with a part broken out. "It looks like the frame for this broke from my weight," I surmised. "I guess it must have gotten wet at some point and just rotted through with those at least twenty years."

"So, what's inside?" Nami asked curiously.

"The rest of the treasure," I revealed as the light finally shone inside, showing five treasure chests double the size of the ones on top of the cliff. "Clever, hiding the treasure right under a fake treasure. Wonder why they never came back for it."

"Straw Hat kid…" Gaimon said thrice more as he wiped the tears and snot from his face. "This really is the best day of my life."

"So, how about we divvy this up so Gaimon has some trading money if anyone else comes by?" I asked, prompting Nami's eyes to become Beri signs and some slight drooling.

-X-

"That's some story," Zoro commented as I finished loading up two of the larger treasure chests and two of the smaller ones. "At least we got some food and water outta this mess."

"At least?!" Nami snapped. "We're walking away with seven and a half million Beri, as well as supplies! This is a miracle!"

"You ain't seen nothing yet, Nami," I joked as I turned back to Gaimon. "So, you're not coming with us?"

"Nah, adventure's fine and all, but I've kinda come to love the rare animals on this island," Gaimon explained as the chicken-fox came up and licked his cheek. "Poachers hear about these animals and I'm the only guy here to protect them."

"Well, you're a rare animal yourself," I quipped.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Gaimon snapped, causing me to laugh. "Still, thanks for helping me hide the treasure again. That way no one will take it and I can trade for supplies if anyone else comes by not looking for treasure."

"Just remember, tell them it's the last you have, and they shouldn't come looking for more," Nami ordered. "If they come back and ask, you got some more from trading."

"Right, right," Gaimon agreed. "I hope you find some good crewmembers, and find the One Piece!"

"You know it, Gaimon!" I cheered as we set sail once more. "So, a 'worthless stop' huh?"

"I'm too happy to be mad at you right now," Nami said as she nuzzled one of the larger treasure chests.

"Are we sure she's all there?" Zoro asked.

"Eh, sometimes, crazy works," I laughed as I leaned back in the boat. _"Well, next should be meeting Usopp. Maybe I can get him outta this a bit less scuffed up."_

* * *

 _ **A/N: Alright! Another chapter down!**_

 **Randy: So let's get to the reviews!**

 _ **To MusicOfMadness:**_

 **Randy: Thanks for the compliments!**

 _ **A/N: I know the feeling. A good story can really drag you into it.**_

 **Randy: You were almost late for work yesterday because you had to read This Bites!'s newest chapter.**

 _ **A/N: Quiet you.**_

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 _ **A/N: To be honest, the townspeople were already on edge due to Buggy, it wouldn't have taken much to send them over after seeing Boodle KO'd.**_

 **Randy: Yeah, I got that. Also, why the hell did you make me so honest to a fault?**

 _ **A/N: One of my own character flaws really. I'm bluntly honest when asked questions.**_

 **Randy: ...great.**

 _ **To JJsanoguel98:**_

 _ **A/N: Not in particular, some of the movies I loved and some are a bit... out there.**_

 **Randy: You know which ones we mean.**

 **Luffy: So are you gonna do them or not?**

 _ **A/N: To be honest, I might just pick and choose. Since this is an AU, some might happen, some might not. I haven't seen all the movies personally.**_

 **Randy: Which ones?**

 _ **A/N: I've seen Strong World, the Karakuri Castle, and... I missed out on Film Gold in theaters due to money issues.**_

 **Randy: ...you poor, poor man.**

 _ **To Nowdied:**_

 _ **A/N: Oh, I have big plans for the Baratie, you can count on that.**_

 **Randy: You've got big plans for everything once we get there.**

 _ **A/N: Well, that's probably the best point for deviation from the norm.**_

 **Randy: Says you.**

 _ **To Lazymanjones96:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks for reviewing, and welcome to the fold!**_

 _ **To crash Barcode:**_

 **Luffy: Shishishi! Thanks!**

 _ **To AngelFaux:**_

 **Randy: Here's hoping you like this little chapter too!**

 _ **A/N: We've got a lot more on the way, you can count on it.**_

 _ **To Guest:**_

 **Randy: There's a fine line to time travel, as displayed best in the Back to the Future movie trilogy.**

 _ **A/N: When you have pre-existing knowledge of the future, it can be a tool to help or to hurt. And there's a butterfly effect to take in account too.**_

 **Randy: You never know what outcome is going to happen once you change something.**

 _ **A/N: If I were to say... have Randy show some gratitude to a News Coo with a big tip, that Coo would probably want to help me out in the future by delivering news early or having his flock withhold news from enemies.**_

 **Randy: Changes to a timeline are like ripples in a pond. The smallest drop can make waves.**

 _ **A/N: Alright, that's all for now, so please, read, rate, and review!**_

 **Luffy: Next time on One Piece: Broken Locks...**

 **Randy: We sail headfirst into the machinations of a man thought dead, and the liar who opposes him!**


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Alright, let's get this next arc started!**_

 **Randy: Onwards and upwards! To Infinity and Beyond!**

 **Luffy: TO ALL THE MEAT I CAN EAT!**

 ** _A/N-_ Randy: _CUT IT OUT!_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only the new characters I create and any additional character exploration.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Ability or Technique"**

 ** _"Author's Notes"_**

* * *

 _ **Arc 2: Syrup Village Arc**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10: Enter Pirate Captain Usopp!**_

* * *

"Wow, I can't believe you found that treasure for the box-guy!" Luffy cheered at me from across our mental void. "But how come it wasn't there when I helped him?"

"Well, multiverse theory comes into play there," I replied. "It might not have been there because it didn't exist in the main timeline. It might have been there and you just might not have found it. It's a Schrodinger's Cat scenario."

"A what?" Luffy asked.

"Schrodinger's Cat is a hypothetical scenario where you can't prove whether a cat is alive or dead inside a box until you open it or somehow look inside," I explained, only for Luffy to give me a thoughtful look.

"So, it's a mystery cat?" Luffy suggested.

"…that's …not a bad interpretation," I acquiesced.

"Randy! Randy wake up!" Nami's voice echoed in our voidscape.

"Looks like we're getting close to the next island," I said. "I'll be sure to get Usopp for our crew, Luffy."

"Shishishi! You better!" Luffy agreed as the void faded to white.

-X-

"We got lucky with meeting Gaimon, but we need to be better prepared," Nami summarized as we floated.

"Nami's right, we can't go to the Grand Line with just a small sailboat and a dinghy," I agreed. "We need a larger ship, one that can handle the supplies we need and to get us to and through the Grand Line."

"So does the supplies happen to include sake?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah, and a larger share of meat for me, but let's be serious for a moment," I chuckled.

"At least someone here is reasonable," Nami sighed. "…sometimes."

"So how much longer till we reach our next destination?" I asked.

"Shouldn't be more than a half-hour," Nami said, checking her map and a compass. "We'll reach the Gecko Islands and the closest village, Syrup Village."

"Here's hoping they've got a shipyard," I said, laying back in the boat.

A half-hour later, as Nami predicted with her usual pinpoint navigation, we arrived to a shore framed by two tall cliffs, each tipped with part of a lush forest.

"So, which way to the village?" Zoro yawned as he stretched back. "It'll be good to stretch my legs on terra firma."

"Right, but first things first, I think we have company," I said noting Usopp standing on the top of the hill. "So, who're you?"

"I-I'm the Great Captain Usopp, fierce Pirate Fleet Captain, and self-designated guardian of this village!" Usopp barked, despite flinching at my notice of him. "I have 80 million men at my disposal, and you'll feel their wrath if you try to attack!" Several pirate flags shot up out of the bushes, all with Usopp's Pirate Crew Jolly Roger on them.

"He's lying," Nami bluntly stated.

"Gah! How'd she know!?" Usopp asked himself as he flinched backward.

"Well, you just told her," I cut in, causing Zoro to chuckle.

"No! You crafty pirates got me to break my own cover!" Usopp bemoaned as he wiggled like an arm-flailing tube-man. "Alright, 80 million was a _bit_ of an exaggeration, but I still have many men under my disposal!" As if to punctuate for him, some of the flags started moving up and down rhythmically.

"I'm gonna guess there's three of them," Nami smugly added.

"WAH! She _does_ know!" Usopp's "crew" shrieked as they ran for cover.

"Hey, wait! Come back guys!" Usopp begged as I could only snicker. "Don't leave me here alone!"

"Man, you could be a great vaudeville performer," I laughed, earning a glare from Usopp.

"Don't you laugh at me!" Usopp demanded as he pulled his slingshot out of his satchel. "I'll have you know that I can rival any man with a pistol using this slingshot! I'm a proud man, and I don't take mockery lightly!" I only smirked as I tilted my hat down to cover my eyes. "I'll show you why they call me 'Proud Captain Usopp', you filthy pirate!"

"So that's your 'pistol' huh?" I asked in a slow, menacing tone. "You do realize that pistols aren't for words, they're for action."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Usopp asked, twitching slightly as he kept his eyes locked on me.

"I mean you're threatening my life," I continued, drawing a kunai from my pouch. "If you're threatening my life, that means you're willing to put your own on the line to see that threat through. Are you 'man' enough to risk your life?"

"He's serious, you know," Zoro interjected. "This guy's a pirate through and through."

The Mexican standoff lasted for a minute or so before Usopp's grip on his slingshot slipped, the metal pachinko bearing dropping as his band snapped forward loosely. "Real pirates have a lot of backing on their threats," Usopp whined as he slumped to the ground.

"Nah, that wasn't a threat," I laughed. "I stole the first part from Shanks."

"Shanks? You mean _the_ Red-Haired Shanks!" Usopp asked, his eyes bugging out as he leaned forward towards us.

"Yeah, Shanks visited my hometown a lot when I was younger," I revealed. "You said your name is Usopp, is your dad's name Yasopp by chance?"

"Y-yeah, that's my dad! How'd you know?" Usopp begged.

"We can talk over lunch, you know any place that's good to eat around here?" I asked.

-X-

"I can't believe my dad is sailing with _the_ Red-Haired Shanks!" Usopp reveled as he sat at a table with us in the Meshi Restaurant.

"Yeah, your dad was probably the best sniper on the whole crew," I added, swallowing the steak I'd cut for myself. "He probably could back up any of his stories. You act a lot like he did, he couldn't shut up about how proud he was of his skills or his son, especially when he got a bit drunk."

"Man, and I barely knew him before he left," Usopp said as he daydreamed a bit. "That's so cool."

"So, Usopp, do you know where we could get a ship?" Nami asked, changing the subject.

"Er, no, I don't think there's any place in town where you could find a ship for your adventure," Usopp hastily covered up.

"Well, what about that huge mansion at the top of the village?' Zoro asked, Usopp nervously flinching again.

"Hey yeah, that's a great idea! Do you think you can introduce them to us, Usopp?" Nami asked.

"You stay away from that mansion!" Usopp ordered as he stood up, slamming his palms on the table. There was a brief silence before sweat rolled down Usopp's neck. "Uh, I actually have to be somewhere! You can order anything you want, just tell the owner to put it on my tab! I've got a bit of a reputation around this place!" Usopp ran for the door and waved to us. "Gotta go! Later!"

"That was weird, even for what we know of him," Nami mused. "Think he's covering something up?"

"He's probably got some personal investment in the mansion's residents," I suggested, tearing a roll in half. "Either way, that's none of our business. But, that's not to say we shouldn't see if we can get a ship from them, or at least get directions to a shipyard."

It was a few minutes later before I finished up, feeling full for the first time in a while. The door was slammed open as we heard a cry of "The Usopp Pirates are here!"

"Who're they?" Nami asked as three young kids ran inside clutching wooden swords.

"Dunno, but they probably know Usopp," I surmised.

"The Captain's not here…" the purple-haired one realized.

"They must have eaten him!" the blond with glasses concluded.

"H-Hey, pirates! Tell us what you did with our Captain!" the green-haired one asked, thrusting his sword to the sky.

"Yeah, tell us now!" his companions backed in unison. I grinned to Zoro before patting my stomach.

"Ah, been a while since I was able to eat my fill of meat," I said in a bit of a sarcastic tone.

"M-Meat?!" the three kids yelped in fear.

"You wanna know what we did with him?" Zoro asked ominously as he glared at the trio. "We… _ate him._ "

"AAAH! IT'S A WITCH!" the kids shrieked at Nami.

"Don't call me that!" Nami hissed through her shark-like face fault. "Why did you two do that?!" Zoro and I could only laugh as the kids passed out on the floor.

"Oh, so he said he had to be somewhere?" Onion, the blond repeated after the trio regained consciousness and we apologized for scaring them.

"Yup, after he said that, he ran out," Zoro finished.

"He must have headed up to the mansion then," Pepper, the green-haired kid revealed.

"You mean the one on the hill?" Nami asked. "Why would he go there?"

"To tell lies!" the purple-haired kid named Carrot summed up.

"So… like cover-up lies or story lies?" I asked. "Because tall tales and a lie are two different things."

"Well, I guess it's stories," Carrot agreed. "Captain really loves to make up stories, and it makes Kaya happier!"

"So the mansion's owner is called Kaya?" Nami asked, a bit more interested now. "How long has he been doing this?"

"For a few years now," Pepper stated. "Ever since her parents died, she's been sick. But Captain's stories make her feel better!"

"I guess laughter really is the best medicine," I commented. "Stress weakens the immune system, so by bringing her spirits up, Usopp really is making her get better."

"It might be all in her head then," Zoro added. "Your Captain's a pretty good guy."

"I like how nosy he is," Carrot said.

"I like his cowardice," Pepper agreed.

"And I like his tall tales!" Onion added.

"Those aren't really good features to admire," Zoro commented, sweating a bit.

"Alright, we'll head up to the mansion and see if we can purchase a ship," I said, sitting up from the booth.

"Hey, shouldn't we think about this a bit more?" Nami asked. "A ship's really expensive you know!"

"It's not like I'm asking you to pay for it," I countered.

"But you don't have any money!" Nami snapped.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Well, y-yeah!" Nami replied. "All our treasure is back on the boats!"

"All your treasure maybe," I cryptically answered. "Unless you decided to feel me up when I wasn't looking?"

I could only grin as Nami's face flushed bright red in embarrassment and anger. "You pervert!" Nami roared, punching me into the floor.

"She's scary…" the Usopp Pirates whimpered, their eyes locked on Nami's smoking fist from behind their meat shield, Zoro.

"I never thought I could fear a woman weaker than me," Zoro muttered.

"What was that?" Nami glowered.

"Nothing!" Zoro and the Usopp Pirates hastily covered up.

-X-

"It looks like the front gate's locked," Nami said as we approached the mansion. "And no one's around either."

"Weird, there's normally guys watching the place," Carrot commented.

"I guess we'll have to come back later," Zoro commented as Randy approached the gate. He pushed on the gate, which swung open a bit.

"It's unlocked by the looks of it," Randy commented. "And I think I can hear someone off this way."

"Well, let's go and see if they can help us," Zoro commented as the group walked inside. Rounding the corner, they saw Usopp sitting up in a tree talking to a young lady with pale skin and very light blonde hair.

"Captain!" the Usopp Pirates cheered and snapping Usopp out of his story.

"Guys? What're you doing here?!" Usopp asked as he noticed his crew and recent acquaintances.

"Well, the front gate was unlocked, and we heard someone talking over this way," Randy replied.

"Usopp, you know these people?" the girl asked.

"Why, yes! Yes I do!" Usopp hastily covered up. "You see, these three heard of my reputation and came to join my pirate crew!"

"That's not why we're here," Randy clarified. "We actually came to see if you could sell us a ship, or point us to the nearest shipyard. We'd greatly appreciate any help." Randy bowed to the lady, just as another person rounded the corner.

"What are you doing here?!" the person yelled as Randy returned to standing and the group looked at him. "You can't just barge into a mansion like this!"

"Well, pardon us, we're simply here on business and no one was at the door," Randy replied.

Nami noticed a slight change in his voice and demeanor. It was odd, Randy tensed up a bit, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at this newcomer. "What's his problem?" she mused quietly.

"Klahador, these people are…" Kaya began before the butler held a hand towards her.

"My lady, you don't have to explain," Klahador interrupted. "I will ask about this later. What business do you have here with us?"

"My business is with the lady of the house," Randy returned. "We're here to purchase a ship if possible, or if not, we'd like directions to the nearest shipyard so we may procure a ship."

"Is that so?" Klahador asked, his eyes locking with Randy's. "Well, we have no ship to sell."

"…very well," Randy sighed, his eyes still locked on the butler. "Then we would just like directions to the nearest shipyard, and we'll be out of your hair."

"In one moment, sir," Klahador excused as he turned to Usopp. "You're Usopp, if the rumors in the village are true."

"Oh, so you've heard of me?" Usopp said, preening a bit. "Well, you can call me Captain Usopp!"

"You're quite the liar, from what I hear," Klahador replied as Usopp recoiled at the insult. "The guards said that you've been lurking outside our gates. What brings you to my lady's home?"

"Oh, I… heard there was a huge mole around here, and I wanted to see it for myself!" Usopp fibbed.

"Not a bad lie," Klahador countered. "I've heard about your father too."

"What?" Usopp inquired hastily.

"Your father was a filthy pirate, who left his sick wife and only son to fulfill his lust for the seas," Klahador continued, Usopp tensing up from the insults. Nami noted Randy looked like he was holding himself back for some reason.

" _Maybe Randy's just mad that he's insulting Usopp?"_ Nami estimated.

"I'm not surprised you turned out like your father," Klahador finished. "But I won't let a filthy man like you near Miss Kaya."

"Did you say filthy?!" Usopp hissed as Klahador kept his half-bored look.

"You and Miss Kaya are from completely different worlds," Klahador reinforced. "Is it money you're after? Name your price." Nami saw out of the corner of her eye a look of dread pass over Kaya.

"That's enough, Klahador!" Kaya ordered. "Apologize to Usopp at once!"

"There's no need for me to apologize to a ruffian like him," Klahador reasoned. "I'm just telling the truth! I feel a bit sorry for you… you must hate your father for abandoning you and your mother. All for treasure or some other nonsense like 'a man's romance'."

"Klahador!" Kaya snapped.

"Stop insulting my father already…" Usopp rumbled as he burned a hole in Klahador's head.

"Why are you so angry?" Klahador asked. "You could just lie like you always do. You could say that your father is a traveling merchant… or that Yasopp isn't your father by blood…"

"SHUT UP!" Usopp roared as he lunged at Klahador, his fist smashing into the butler's cheek.

"Captain!" the kids yelped in shock as Kaya covered her mouth.

"Grr, see! You're quick to resort to violence!" Klahador said, adjusting his glasses with the palm of his hand. "You're just like your father!"

"Shut up!" Usopp interjected. "I'm proud my dad is a pirate! He's a brave warrior of the seas! You're right that I'm a liar, but I'm proud of my heritage! I won't pretend to be something I'm not! I _am_ the son of a pirate!"

"Brave warriors of the sea?" Klahador scoffed. "Don't twist the truth. It's because you have that savage blood in you…" He stood up after fixing his glasses. "That you lie so much and resort to violence when you're angry."

"A lot of people resort to violence when they get angry," Randy interjected, drawing the attention of Usopp and Klahador. "Not that it helped you keep goading him."

"Goading him?" Klahador echoed in query. "I'm only saying the truth."

"So am I," Randy replied sternly. "You just goaded Usopp into attacking you like throwing a ball of yarn to a cat." Klahador barely flinched, and Randy relaxed a bit with a smirk. "You also seem to be one of those 'sins of the father' types, so you're already biased against Usopp as well."

"And why shouldn't I be?" Klahador asked. "His father…"

"His father left him when he was very young, and you said his mother was abandoned too?" Randy continued. "Honestly, if all he's doing is lying, he could be much worse. You, on the other hand, seem to be acting overprotective and the first thing you think he's after is Miss Kaya's money." Randy pointed a finger at Klahador, who didn't take his eyes off Randy for a minute. "It seems to me, that you're more concerned about Kaya's money than about her." Klahador flinched again, but didn't defend himself.

"Please, sir, don't speak of Klahador like that!" Kaya begged. "I know he seems a bit extreme, but he's just concerned about me!"

"Very true, there's two sides to every story," Randy sighed, but still smiling. "My apologies, Miss Kaya." He bowed to the lady and looked at everyone else. "If we're done with this game of Cat and Mouse, I think we should take our leave for now." Nami noticed Klahador flinching again.

"What is with that guy and cat metaphors?" Nami asked herself.

"Fine, but I'd best not see you around here again, Usopp," Klahador replied. "Savages like you aren't welcome here!"

"No, I can see that now," Usopp said, looking grim. "Fine, I won't be back ever again." As he walked away, Kaya clutched her hand over her heart.

"Usopp…" Kaya said as the Usopp Pirates look furious.

"You bastard! Captain's not that kind of person!" Carrot roared.

"Yeah, you jerkface!" Pepper chimed in.

"Jerkface!" Onion finished.

"Settle down kids," Randy sighed as Nami held the three back. "Even if we can't purchase a ship here, we'll find a way. But right now…" Randy looked back to Klahador. "I think we have an idea on how the cat jumps here."

"Excuse me?" Klahador asked, relaxing a bit to the change in subject.

"Oh, I'm sorry, does Miss Kaya not know your sexual preferences?" Randy egged on. "Maybe I should hold my tongue before I oust someone who hides in the closet."

"Sir, I believe you are mistaken," Klahador said. "I am not attracted to men."

"Could have fooled me," Randy said, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, the way you obviously were looking me up while I was talking says otherwise."

"Beg pardon?" Klahador asked, his look getting a bit irritated.

"Look, no one here is gonna judge you if you're gay, but I just don't swing that way," Randy continued. "I'm flattered you're interested, but I'm going to turn you down."

"I don't have to take this from some smart-mouthed brat!" Klahador snapped.

"Fine, fine," Randy finished, gesturing towards his face, "just keep your eyes up here and away from my…"

Klahador grabbed Randy by the edge of his t-shirt and yanked him forward, pulling his other hand back to rake his fingers across his face. "I'M NOT GAY!" the butler roared as he swung for Randy's face, but stopped just short as he realized his error.

"What's the matter, sir?" Randy asked coyly. "Cat got your tongue?" Nami only saw it for a split second, but Kalahador's eyes twitched in anger as he released the straw-hatted young man.

"It seems that a lot of people do indeed resort to violence when angry," Klahador hissed. "Now leave the property at once!"

"I've made my point, so gladly," Randy said, waving to Kaya. "My apologies for the show, Miss Kaya. I hope you're feeling better tomorrow." Randy started walking back to the front gate, Zoro, Nami, and the Usopp Pirates following after him.

* * *

 **Luffy: What was that all about?**

 **Randy: So innocent... so, so innocent...**

 _ **A/N: Anyway, onto the reviews!**_

 _ **To JJsanoguel98:**_

 _ **A/N: I mean, that's what I did for Strong World, the Bear King movie, and the Mechanical Castle films if memory serves. But now that I'm here, I feel I should at least help the cause and pay for a copy of the film.**_

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 **Randy: Yes, we have been following the manga up until this point!**

 _ **A/N: That's a personal preference on my part, as I first dug into One Piece with the manga in my first copy of Shonen Jump. However, we will be delving into some filler once I get closer to ones I always thought were interesting. It'll be a good experience seeing them for the first time on my own and finding out what to expect. I already have some ideas based on what I've heard about for filler regardless.**_

 _ **To Nowdied:**_

 _ **A/N: I have not, and more likely than not, WILL not. I believe I caught the climactic fight, but to be honest? THAT put me off it enough to never want to watch it again. That said... I have a plan for that as well.**_

 **Randy: I hate you now.**

 _ **A/N: Oh, I got this idea before they even brought it up.**_

 **Randy: And I hate you again.**

 _ **To sarahgri99:**_

 **Randy: Well, here's the start of it! I hope you got some enjoyment out of this chapter!**

 _ **To tanithlipsky:**_

 _ **A/N: First time commenting? Well, thanks!**_

 **Randy: And that's it for now.**

 _ **A/N: Tune in next time, and please rate, review, and watch and/or favorite if you haven't already!**_

 **Randy: Just be glad he didn't get a Nintendo Switch and Breath of the Wild.**

 **Luffy: Hey! I can cook in this! I need meat!**

 ** _A/N-_ Randy: _Oh god..._**


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: And onto the next segment of our story.**_

 **Randy: You're being surprisingly bland and calm.**

 _ **A/N: I have a few comments I want to address at the end of this, but first and foremost, I want to address something that came up in a private message.**_

 _ **Last chapter I used the idea of someone being gay as an insult, and I thought nothing of it. But after being reminded of the impact I do have, despite not even realizing I had it, I had to say something. I am not LGBT, but I am a human who cares. To anyone who reads this story, I apologize for my indifferent comment and flagrant use of a deep insult to someone's being. Insulting someone, no, an entire part of the human race, because they are different than you, is stupid, senseless, and wrong. I deeply wounded someone today, and my heart sank. I am not a man who wants to hurt people, I want the world to accept each other as we are. So, if I lose viewers and honest fans because of this, I deserve it. I'm not in this because I want attention. I wanted to share a story people could enjoy, no matter who they are. If you can find it in your hearts to forgive me, or not, I'll accept the consequences.  
**_

 **Randy: Good on you, man. If any of you want to un-watch this story or send a PM yelling at the big guy, do it. We're not gonna just ignore the mistakes we've made.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only the characters I create for this story and the additional character exploration I write in.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 11: The Truth behind Lies_**

* * *

We were currently recounting our situation at a wooden fence along the roadside into town. After approaching Kaya's mansion in hopes of acquiring a ship, we'd unfortunately met her butler, Klahador. Klahador aggravated Usopp into attacking him, and in turn, I'd aggravated him into attacking me just to get his goat. Usopp had up and gone somewhere to cool off, and Onion vanished too.

"Man, you really got that butler riled up good," Zoro dryly commented.

"Would you believe I got that trick from a one-eyed fox?" I chuckled, thinking back to one of my favorite fanfictions. _"Sadly, that fanfic ended due to the writer not having the time or drive to do it anymore. But I'll never forget Ricky."_

"We might still have a shot at a ship, if that butler isn't too mad at Randy for the gay comments," Nami seethed at me.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," I replied calmly. "I have a hunch he's not gonna be a problem tomorrow."

"How can you be so sure?" Nami asked pointedly.

"I rely on my hunches," I fibbed. "So where did Usopp go?"

"The Captain must have gone there!" Carrot realized.

"Yeah, at the north shore!" Pepper clarified. "Captain always goes there when he's feeling down."

"Are you gonna go after him?" Carrot asked.

"Well, probably," I added. "In a little bit. Some alone time should do him some good."

"So where's that friend of yours?" Zoro asked.

"Oh, Onion?" Pepper asked. "He always just disappears without telling anyone."

"And then he comes back screaming his head off," Carrot agreed.

"WAAAH! THIS IS BAD!" Onion screamed as he ran towards us. "Th-there's a man that's backwards!"

"Speak of the devil…" Zoro commented.

"There's a man that's walking backwards!" Onion said, pointing down the path.

"Liar," his friends bluntly declared.

"It's true! Look!" Onion said as he pointed to this universe's version of Michael Jackson walking in reverse down the road towards us.

"That's called Moonwalking," I revealed as the man got closer. "It's a dance move where you walk backwards while looking like you're trying to walk forwards. Though it's kinda weird he's choosing to dance instead of walk."

"Who called me 'weird'?" the man said, turning to us and looking through his heart-shaped sunglasses. "I'm not weird; I'm just a passing-through hypnotist."

"And I'm a passing-through Kamen Rider," I joked.

"What?" Nami, Zoro, the kids, and even Jango asked in confusion.

"Remember that!" I finished. It felt appropriate to pull a joke about the Destroyer of Worlds, at least to me.

"I'm starting to think you're both weird," Nami commented, holding her head. "You act weird and he looks weird."

"Hey, don't judge a book by its cover," Jango returned.

"So who're you?" I asked plainly.

"If you must know, my name's Jango, and like I said, I'm a passing-through hypnotist," Jango plainly answered.

"Wow, a hypnotist?" Onion echoed.

"Can you show us a trick?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah, show us!" Carrot chimed in.

"What? Your idiots don't even know what hypnotism is!" Jango proudly declared. "There's no way I'm showing you!" However, he stood in front of the three kids and pulled out an edged metal ring on a string. "Okay, you guys stare at this."

"You're showing them anyway," Zoro commented, a sweat drop rolling down his head.

"When I say 'One, Two, Jango', you'll all fall asleep," Jango commanded. "One… Two… Jango!" As soon as the last word passed his lips, the Usopp Pirates were out like a light. But so was Jango.

"What the hell kinda hypnotist is he?" Zoro blurted out.

"Well, if the show's over, I'm gonna go look for Usopp," I declared as I Soru'd away.

-X-

Usopp couldn't help but still feel a bit pissed off as he stared out into the ocean. "That damn butler. He really grinds my gears! Calling my father filthy and a savage… he has no right to talk about my father like that!" Usopp roared.

Randy's face dropped down in front of Usopp, cutting off his view of the ocean. "Well, you're right about that, Usopp," Randy stated, making Usopp jump back and his eyes bug out.

"Don't do that!" Usopp scolded as he realized Randy was hanging from the tree by his feet. "And why can't you be more normal?"

"Normal's overrated," Randy laughed as he flipped down. "And one man's normal is another man's weird."

"I guess you've got a point there," Usopp rescinded as Randy sat beside him. "Sorry if I'm still a bit on edge, that Klahador got me all riled up."

"If it's any consolation, I got him riled up," Randy beamed. "But there was something off about it."

"Something off?" Usopp echoed. "What was it?"

"You know how you punched Klahador? Well, when I got him angry, he didn't punch or kick me," Randy stated. "He tried to claw my face."

"What? Why would he do that?" Usopp asked.

"Because he has previous fighting experience in a style that would let him do that," Randy answered. "I don't think Klahador is all that he seems."

"Well screw him anyway!" Usopp declared. "I don't care what he does, but before I go back, I'm gonna demand an apology!"

"Why not get it now?" Randy asked, glancing over the cliff edge. "Looks like he's here."

"What?!" Usopp asked, rushing over to the edge of the cliff and peeking over on his stomach. "Get down, they'll see us!" Randy leaned down, making sure he was just out of sight. "Who's that with him?"

"I saw him earlier, his name is Jango," Randy whispered. "He's a hypnotist."

"What would Klahador be doing with a hypnotist?" Usopp asked.

"Jango, I told you to keep a low profile," Klahador scolded as he adjusted his glasses. "You can't do that falling asleep in the middle of the street!"

"Oh please, _me_ attracting attention?" Jango returned. "It's not like I look weird or anything."

"Oh no, he does look weird," Randy reaffirmed.

"So, are you prepared for the plan?" Klahador asked.

"Yes, we're all set," Jango confirmed. "We'll be ready to assassinate the girl whenever."

"Assassinate?!" Usopp hissed in a hushed whisper. "Is he talking about Kaya?"

"'Assassinate' is such an ugly word," Klahador sighed.

"Oh right, we need it to be an 'accident'," Jango clarified. "Isn't that right, Captain Kuro?"

"Don't call me that name," "Klahador" ordered. "I gave up the name Kuro _and_ my Captain status three years ago. You lead the Black Cat Pirates now, Jango."

"So he's Captain Kuro…" Randy repeated. "Looks like my hunch was right."

"Captain Kuro… he's a fearsome pirate who was well-known for his complex strategies, but the Marines caught him three years ago and executed him!" Usopp said, sweat rolling down his face. "But how is he here if he was executed?"

"You said he was a strategist, Usopp," Randy said. "He must have used someone as a double to escape. But the real question is why is he _here_?"

"I still remember that day, it was quite a shock to all of us," Jango monologued as he danced a bit. "You said that you were going to quit being a pirate, and you made me the Captain!" Jango spun around, giving the ground the thumbs-down. "Everyone thinks that Captain Kuro was executed by the Marines, but really you hid out here in this village! You told us to come back in three years' time…" Jango spun around, landing perfectly to sit on a nearby rock. "Back when I worked under you, I got plenty of 'benefits'. To be honest, that was the only reason I worked for you. But you'll be giving me a good share of the loot, right?"

"Of course, but only if you succeed!" Kuro affirmed.

"Good, then I'll be sure to kill the girl," Jango resolved, sliding his thumb across his throat.

"Just killing her isn't enough," Kuro reiterated. "You have to make it look like an accident! Do you even have a proper way of doing that planned?"

"Of course! When you give the order, we charge into the village, and kill her!" Jango outlined. "It's as simple as that! Then you get to inherit all her money!"

"I wonder if God gave you a brain along with that hypnosis ability," Kuro droned. "Tell me, how am I to inherit her money if I'm not related to her by blood or marriage?"

"We'll get it done," Jango reassured.

"No, let me remind you one more time," Kuro said, walking over and pointing at Jango for emphasis. "Before you kill her, you have to hypnotize her and make her write my name into the will! Make her write 'I leave all my wealth and my estate to my butler, Klahador.' Got it?" Usopp tensed up as he heard Kuro make the bold statement. "That's the only way I can openly claim her fortune. I've spent these three years getting everyone to trust me, and as soon as she writes that in the will, no one will suspect a thing!"

"You spent three years as a butler for this?" Jango asked in astonishment. "If I were you, I would have just robbed them and booked it!"

"And if I had, I would be a wanted man once more," Kuro clarified. "With this plan, I can get her fortune _and_ the Marines won't want my head. I prefer to use my head to settle things peacefully."

"Hah, peacefully?" Jango laughed. "You mean by murdering a girl and her entire family for their fortune?"

"I only intend to have Kaya murdered," Kuro reiterated. "Her parents died of natural causes; I had nothing to do with their demises, however convenient it may be."

"Whatever you say, we're ready when you are," Jango said. "Our ship has been anchored nearby for a week! The men are getting antsy, they want to go ahead and ravage the entire island!"

"No… this is bad, this is _really_ bad!" Usopp hissed. "For three years, Kuro hid out in my home town and was after Kaya's fortune all along!" A feeling of dread passed over Usopp at what has been going on. "Oh god, I punched him! He'll kill me for sure! Kaya's gonna be killed too… and everyone in the village… This is not good! Not good at all!" Randy's face stood a staunch determination as he stood up from their hiding spot. "Randy, what are you doing?! They'll see you!"

"Don't care, Usopp," Randy whispered before taking a deep breath. "IF YOU THINK I'M GONNA STAND BY WHILE YOU WRECK THIS ISLAND, YOU'RE _DEAD WRONG!_ " Usopp faulted from Randy's declaration, and Kuro and Jango only seemed a bit perturbed.

"Who's there?!" Jango asked. "Wait… that kid from earlier…"

"You know him, Jango?" Kuro asked, glaring at Randy.

"Yeah, he saw me earlier," Jango said, sweating a bit.

"What are you doing, get down!" Usopp barked as he grabbed Randy's arm.

"Usopp… you're here too?" Kuro asked, Usopp close to shitting himself.

"Crap, he saw me!" Usopp whined.

"Did you… hear anything?" Kuro asked in a very threatening tone.

"No! Nothing at all! We just got here!" Usopp snapped, tears welling up.

"Well, he just got here, I heard everything," Randy fibbed.

"You idiot! Don't tell them that!" Usopp said, slapping some sense into Randy.

"Well, we can't have you telling," Kuro sighed. "Jango?"

"Right," Jango said, pulling out his pendulum. "Look at this pendulum…"

"He's going to kill us with that!" Usopp shrieked.

"Usopp, hypnosis only works if you let it," Randy said, sighing as he looked at the cowering liar.

"When I say 'One, Two, Jango', you'll fall asleep," Jango droned. "One… Two…"

"Just hide, Randy!" Usopp yelped, ducking away from the cliff ledge.

"Jango!" Jango declared. However, much to Kuro's ire, only Jango fell asleep.

"You still haven't gotten over your old habits, Jango," Kuro sighed as he caught his slumbering ally, mildly irritated Randy wasn't affected.

"See, what'd I tell you Us…opp…" Randy said, his body getting heavier. "Oh crap…" His vision blurred as he staggered towards the cliff.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Usopp yelled as he realized Randy was going over. "You're gonna fall!" He leaped to try to catch Randy, but he was too slow and Randy tumbled over the cliff.

" **Tek…kai…"** Randy muttered just before he hit the ground head-first, his hat flying off his head.

"Hey, Randy! Please tell me you're okay!" Usopp begged, looking at Randy's body.

"Damn, I didn't want to kill him," Jango said, waking up from the noise of the impact. "With a fall like that, he's probably got a broken neck, or worse." Randy's body slumped over, his legs resting on the ground.

"You bastard! You killed him!" Usopp hissed.

"What should we do about the other one?" Jango asked. "Should I kill him too?"

"No, no one will believe a liar like him," Kuro stated. "Jango, tomorrow morning, take the crew and attack the village. Make sure you destroy some houses, it'll look like a pirate raid. Then make Kaya write the will, and kill her."

"T-tomorrow morning…" Usopp echoed.

"Did you hear that, Usopp?" Kuro mockingly asked. "It doesn't matter, you can't affect my plan."

Usopp growled in hate as he took a few steps back. "Damn you…" he hissed as he turned and ran off screaming.

"Are you fine with this?" Jango asked.

Kuro nodded. "Yes, it'll be fine," he assured. "Usopp won't be able to change my plan." The two walked off towards Jango's ship, not bothering to check Randy's pulse.

-X-

"Goddammit Luffy, you almost got us killed!" I roared at Luffy across the mindscape.

"Sorry, but it's fine, right?" Luffy laughed. "If you had stopped them there, Usopp wouldn't have a chance to join our crew!"

"…I really hate it when you're right," I groaned. "You infuriate me so much, but when you're right, you're right. …wait, how do you understand time paradox causality?"

"Oh, I took some time to watch some of the shows from your world!" Luffy beamed as he laughed. "You've got a lot of good adventure stories!"

"Wait, how the hell did you WATCH them?" I interrogated.

A TV seemed to drop in between us and showed a few different video providers, such as Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu. "Shishishi! You've got this neat thing called an App!" Luffy said.

"Wait, you can watch TV from here?" I asked. "I have _apps_?! How the hell does this work?!"

"Yeah, I can play video games too!" Luffy added, a Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One dropping in front of the TV. "I really like the fighting games and the RPGs!"

"…I give up," I groaned as I heard voices. "Well, I guess it's time to wake up."

"Okay, see you later!" Luffy cheered as the mindscape faded once more.

-X-

"Randy, what happened?" Nami asked as I grabbed my hat and kipped up.

"Just a bout of narcolepsy," I said, sighing.

"I swear, you need to be more careful about that!" Nami scolded. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"What happened?" Pepper asked. "We just saw the Captain running around yelling about pirates."

"He was with me, but I didn't know where he went after I passed out," I half-lied. "Anyway, we should go find him. He's probably screaming his head off thinking I'm dead."

"Well, to be fair, you did barely survive a fall from a cliff," Onion pointed out.

"Yeah, but no need to worry him more than he already is," I countered as we started walking back towards town.

The sun was starting to set as we came back to the lone tree and fence by the road to the village. Usopp was standing there, but when he saw us, he quickly wiped his eyes. "H-hey everyone!" Usopp said, waving to us. "Wuh… HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"

"Oh, I just fell asleep," I replied. "I woke up after you left."

"He says he suffers from narcolepsy," Pepper replied. "Are you alright, Captain? You must have been worried about Randy!"

"Y-yeah, that's it!" Usopp covered up, hiding his left arm. "Well, it's getting late guys, you should probably head home."

"Yeah, we'll seeya tomorrow Captain!" Carrot said, waving at us as the trio walked off.

"It is close to dinner time," Pepper said.

Onion nodded in agreement. "I wonder what mom made," he pondered.

"Usopp, you can stop covering up now," I said as soon as the Veggie Trio was out of earshot. "Nami and Zoro need to know what's going on."

"What are you talking about?" Nami asked as Usopp brought his arm forward. "Y-your arm! You've been shot!"

"Okay, start talking you two," Zoro sighed. "What REALLY happened at that cliff?"

-X-

Much later, we were back at the North Shore where Kuro and Jango had their meeting, with the crescent moon hanging high in the sky. "So that butler is really Captain Kuro and he's going to have his former crew raid the village at dawn," Zoro summarized. "And you got shot trying to help that girl escape."

"Well, it's no wonder no one believed you," Nami scolded as she tied off a bandage around Usopp's arm. "You kept spouting the same lie every day, over and over. You're the living example of 'the boy who cried wolf'."

"Yeah, I get that now," Usopp sighed as he sat on a rock. "But you know what? I'm going to keep being a liar. Tomorrow… I'm gonna protect this village!" He stood up, looking resolute for a bit. "Everyone will just think I was lying again and they'll be safe and sound! I'll give my life to protect my hometown!" Usopp's tears started running again as he dropped back to the rock. "Even though… they shot me… and chase me with broomsticks every day…" He sniffled and choked back tears, holding his face in his hands. "I love this village so much… I can't just stand by and let them sack the place!"

"You're a pretty good guy," Zoro chuckled. "You lied about your struggle to your friends so they wouldn't suspect anything."

"I guess we'll have to help you cover this up again," I said, cracking my neck. "I don't feel right letting this village be screwed over."

"Well, just remember, all their money is mine!" Nami said, giving the OK with her hand.

"You… you guys… you're willing to fight with me?" Usopp asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Well, duh, you're not gonna be able to fight an entire crew of pirates on your own," I chided.

"Says the guy who caught a cannonball and threw it back," Nami quipped.

"Wait, you did what?!" Usopp yelped as he shot up like bamboo. "No way, you're lying!"

"She's not lying," Zoro said. "But regardless, you're looking like you're about to crap your pants in fear."

"Do I look scared to you?!" Usopp barked. "I don't care if they outnumber me! I've got the blood of a courageous warrior flowing through my veins!"

"Your legs are shaking," I pointed out. Usopp banged his legs a few times to try to stop them from rattling.

"Well, of course I'm scared!" Usopp snapped. "It's the Captain Kuro's pirate fleet! I don't need your pity, so just bugger off!"

"We're not pitying you," Zoro calmly stated. "We're commending you for your courage."

"Real courage is being able to stand up to something despite your fear of it," I added. "We wouldn't be risking our lives for just any old liar."

"You guys…" Usopp sniffled, his tears running once more. "I'm so touched!" Once Usopp gathered his composure, we moved to the top of the cliff. "They're going to attack from this shore, I'm sure of it."

"Hold on, how are you so sure?" I asked.

"Well, this is the only way into the village from here, and this is where they had their scheming session," Usopp reasoned. "So why wouldn't they be here?"

"What about the shore we arrived at?" I pointed out, making both Nami and Usopp's faces light up in realization.

"Shit, that's right!" Usopp yelped. "They could attack the northern shore too!"

"And all my money's there!" Nami added.

"So if we want to keep both shores watched, we'll have to split up," Zoro said.

"I guess we should go by our strengths then," Usopp suggested. "What are you guys good at?"

Zoro grinned as he patted his katanas. "Slashing," he stated.

Nami's hands went to her hips and she smiled. "Stealing," she added.

I smiled, tilting my hat down to shade my eyes. "Surprising," I cryptically finished.

"Hiding," Usopp said bluntly.

"You're fighting too!" the rest of us roared at him.

"Okay, so if we're going to balance this out, Zoro and I should split up," I said. "We're the strongest fighters here I assume, no complaints?"

"No, none here," Nami said.

"Yeah, if you guys do all the fighting, I'll be fine with it," Usopp agreed.

"Fine, so what about you two?" Zoro inquired.

"Well, I'm going to the North shore," Nami replied. "There's no way I'm letting anyone steal my treasure."

"Wait, how are we going to know if we're at the wrong shore?" Usopp said. "If I tried to send like, a signal flare, the village would see it!"

"Well, if they're supposed to show up at dawn, then we'll know if they're not there, right?" Nami clarified.

"Okay, so Nami's going to the North Shore, who do you want to come with you?" I asked.

Nami pursed her lips a bit, looking between me and Zoro. _"Well, Randy's really strong. And I don't think Zoro entirely trusts me…"_ she reasoned. "Randy, you're coming with me."

"Fair enough," I acquiesced.

"Not a bad idea," Zoro said. "Usopp and I can stay here, and if they're at the North Shore, Usopp knows the way."

"Yeah, we can get there in about 3 minutes," Usopp agreed.

"You got a compass on you Nami?" I asked. "Because otherwise we have to wait until dawn to find out where North is."

"I left it back at the ship," Nami sighed. "Usopp, do you have one?"

"I might, let me check," he said, reaching into his satchel and digging around in it.

"I've got one," I replied, showing the compass to the others.

"Where the heck do you hide that?" Nami asked as she watched me look at which way North was.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I'm sure you don't want me to know," I quipped cheekily.

"PERVERT!" Nami roared, punching me into the ground as she took the compass. "I swear, I don't know why I put up with you!"

"I'm starting to wonder why he bothers getting you flustered," Zoro commented as I picked myself up, rubbing the new lump of soreness on my head.

"Because I'm a lovable rascal," I laughed.

"You're neither of those," Nami huffed. "You know what, Zoro, you come with me. Usopp and our idiot Captain can stay here."

"Whatever," Zoro sighed as he and Nami started walking off.

"Why _do_ you bother getting her flustered?" Usopp asked as I sat down on the ground and started stargazing.

"Because honestly, she's being more honest that way," I said, trying to recognize constellations. "She still doesn't trust us entirely, and only me getting her angry and happy can get her to be honest. And guess which one is easier to do?"

"Anger," Usopp realized as he sat down beside me. "But why aren't you making her happy then?"

"Because she told me only two things make her happy: money and tangerines," I revealed, sighing as I tried to find the Big Dipper. "And honestly, I think even that was partially a lie."

"So wait, if she doesn't trust you, why are you working with her?" Usopp asked.

I couldn't help but grin at the question, staring into the sky with fond memories of what may come our way in the future. "Because I trust her, just like I trust Zoro, and you, Usopp."

"…well, I guess if you trust her," Usopp said, shrugging. "So, what kinda adventures have you had so far?"

"Oh, that'll be a fun way to pass the rest of the night," I chuckled.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Alright, getting the plot progression out of the way!**_

 **Randy: Thanks for writing more about this. Don't you have other projects to work on?**

 _ **A/N: Well... I need to get some drawing done soon, and I had another idea for a fanfic...**_

 **Randy: Not another One Piece one I hope. I like this journey.**

 _ **A/N: Oh, far from it! In fact, it'd probably be the complete antithesis of this fic!**_

 **Randy: ...you're not going to do it, are you?**

 _ **A/N: Nope! Cause honestly, it'll make too many problems to try to run two fics at the same time and return to my drawing habits. Doesn't mean I can't save it for if/when I catch up to the manga plot.**_

 **Randy: A wise move. Anyway, onto the reviews.**

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 _ **A/N: What can I say? I'm a pun-ny fellow!**_

 **Randy: We're also happy to answer any questions that people have, so long as it avoids spoilers for the future.**

 _ **To JJsanoguel98:**_

 _ **A/N: No, I don't have the every season planned out. However, I do have a few ideas that I am going to implement in the future that will HEAVILY change the course of this story.**_

 **Randy: Do any involve me and my Devil Fruit?**

 _ **A/N: You? Yes. Your Devil Fruit? ...depends on the future and God-Oda-sama.**_

 _ **To sarahgri99:**_

 **Randy: Honestly, Kuro got plenty of Karma from Luffy kicking his ass. I just wanted to really get under his skin.**

 _ **To JayH120:**_

 _ **A/N: Randy WILL be getting a higher bounty, for reasons seen later. It's going to be a combination of why people in One Piece get high bounties in the first place.**_

 **Randy: You mean physical might, political threat, and the like.**

 _ **A/N: Precisely.**_

 _ **To Finder18:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks a lot for the support! As for Luffy being in our Main Character's head, I decided to add that in after getting some comments about Luffy being missing.**_

 **Randy: You jerks.**

 _ **A/N: Well, they made a good point. Luffy is a big draw of the story. Completely removing his antics takes a lot out of the story I'm not entirely sure I could make up for on my own with my additions.**_

 **Randy: As we saw today, Luffy CAN put me out of commission if he doesn't want me to do something.**

 **Luffy: Shishishi! Yep! It's a mystery power!**

 _ **A/N: Luffy also can't explicitly read Randy's memories, but he has had plenty of time to talk to Randy. 12 or so years in fact. As such, they got to know a lot about each other. And Randy will have a way to shut Luffy out later, so don't worry about him intruding on romantic encounters.**_

 **Randy: OH THANK ARCEUS!**

 **Luffy: That stuff's boring anyway.**

 _ **To AngelFaux:**_

 _ **A/N: I can honestly say his Devil Fruit does NOT involve Hardening things, though making things harder or softer IS a clever Devil Fruit idea.**_

 **Randy: It's just the naming convention of my attacks.**

 _ **To Lauri3n:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks! Like I mentioned before, Luffy is a big draw to the story, and completely removing him takes a lot of bite outta the fun.**_

 _ **To iitrnr:**_

 **Randy: Another disappointment from your early writing, shitty author.**

 _ **A/N: Who are you, Sanji? Regardless, as Luffy pointed out, there is a VERY important thing about Time Travel you need to understand. If you have future knowledge about how an event is supposed to go, if you CHANGE one thing, then that knowledge could become irrelevant as the course of the reactions change. A good example of this is in This Bites!, a fanfic I highly recommend if you haven't already read it.**_

 **Randy: Stop plugging our rivals.**

 _ **A/N: Another example is in Back to the Future how Marty's father and Biff's personalities changes due to Marty's meddling in the past. Any time travel plot typically deals with temporal causality in one way or another. As for Loguetown... I'll get to that when I come to it. Besides, Randy's not stupid enough to draw attention to himself by standing up on the execution platform.**_

 **Randy: Unlike some other rubber-brained idiot we know.**

 **Luffy: Shishishi! Still, it was a great view. And it made Smokey chase me into the Grand Line.**

 **Randy: And that's a good thing?**

 _ **A/N: We'll leave that discussion for another time. We've taken up a lot of area in these questions. Anyway, thanks for reading, and please rate, review, and favorite if you haven't!**_

 **Randy: Next time on One Piece: Broken Locks, the Battle at the Slopes begins.**


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: It's been a while, but we're back! I've been working on my art once again, and thanks to a better sleep schedule, I'm feeling much more energetic!**_

 **Randy: Good, I really hated how much time you were wasting oversleeping.**

 _ **A/N: Says the narcoleptic.**_

 **Randy: OI!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters that reside in the world, only any additional character exploration or new characters I create for this fic.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 12: The Uphill Battle at the Slope**_

* * *

"Whoa, so you actually fought and beat Buggy the Clown?!" Usopp asked in astonishment.

I nodded back to him. "Truth be told, Buggy's a massive pushover," I stated. "His Devil Fruit has an amazing amount of potential, but I doubt he'll ever really train it."

"Train a Devil Fruit?" Usopp echoed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that there are no weak Devil Fruits, only uncreative Devil Fruit Users," I continued. "Let's take Buggy's fruit for example. The Chop-Chop Fruit basically lets him be immune to cutting attacks of any kind, and he can make his body parts float and move without touching them. What can you think of doing with that?"

Usopp paused, humming in thought. "Well, if I were him, I'd be using that to get some serious height for sniping while keeping my other parts hidden," he suggested.

"And that's a great idea, using your powers to gain an advantage based on what you can do without trying," I agreed. "But the real trick is him being able to be hit by blunt attacks normally. If he could, say… learn to separate on reflex, he'd be able to dodge blunt attacks as well."

"What do you mean by that?" Usopp asked.

"Well, you could train yourself to move your body on reflex based on where you're hit," I said, gesturing to my arm. "Say I punched this spot. If he trained himself on reflex to move exactly the area I hit in time with the punch, I'd overextend my punch and he'd have me in a vulnerable spot."

"Ah, I see now," Usopp realized. "Because he can move his body freely, he has an easy escape route for incoming attacks, and if he trained, he'd be able to do it for ones he _can't_ see!"

"Exactly," I grinned as the sun began to peek over the horizon. "Looks like it's time."

"We'll see if the Black Cat Pirates appear at this shore or the North shore," Usopp said as we picked ourselves up and waited. "…they're not here."

"Well, looks like my hunch was right," I said, looking where the sun was rising. "We better head for the north shore to meet up with Nami and Zoro."

"Right!" Usopp said as he started running. "It'll take us about three minutes to get there!"

"I'll meet you there, it shouldn't take me that long!" I added, dashing off ahead of Usopp.

-X-

"So, Randy was right, they did come to this shore," Zoro mused as the Black Cat Pirates came ashore.

"Well, good thing he did think of this, or else they'd have taken my treasure before they came up the slope," Nami stated, having carefully hidden her stash away from the shore and away from their boats.

"C-Captain, we've got company!" one of the pirates said as Jango looked up the slope.

"Those brats from earlier…" Jango mused. "How'd they know we'd be here? Did that Usopp kid tell them?"

"So, are you going to come or what?" Zoro asked as he unsheathed one of his black-sheathed katanas.

"Grr… Kuro's going to kill us if we don't get pillaging, so we don't have much choice," Jango grumbled. "Alright men, charge!" The Black Cat pirates roared in a bloodthirsty fervor as they ran up the cliff, weapons brandished in preparation. However, they didn't even get close as many of them were knocked back off their feet. "What?! …it's you."

"Usopp?" Nami asked as the long-nosed young adult was left panting for breath, his excitement and fear getting his adrenaline going.

"Where's Randy?" Zoro asked.

"Well, he said he'd meet me here, but he should have gotten here first!" Usopp said, wiping some sweat off his goggles. "He ran off ahead of me!"

-X-

Hanging off one of the trees in the forest, Randy was awkwardly snoring away as he clung just barely to the branches that surrounded him.

"Dammit Luffy, why'd you knock me out this time?!" Randy demanded.

"You're going the wrong way!" Luffy nagged. "North is the coldest direction, and you're going somewhere warm!"

"Luffy, the whole island is warming up because of the sun!" Randy groaned. "And that's not how you tell North inside OR outside the Grand Line!"

"Oh yeah, then how _do_ you?" Luffy asked to clarify. "You can't use a compass in the Grand Line, cause of the mystery islands."

"The sun rises in the East, and sets in the West," I recited from many memories of the Boy Scouts and general learning. "So, if the sun rises in the East, and I go a 90-degree angle from it to the left, that means I'm going North, right?"

"No, that would mean you're going South, and that's still the wrong direction," Luffy said in a twisted moment of clarity and stupidity.

"Now you're getting left and right confused?!" Randy snapped.

-X-

"Well, whatever, Zoro's still here to fight for us," Nami said. "Go get 'em, Zoro!"

"You two are going to help too," Zoro scolded. "Don't just lump all the work on me."

"Did… did she just call him Zoro?" one of the Black Cat Pirates asked. "As in, Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter?!"

"Captain, we can't beat Zoro!" another whined, "He's a demon!"

"Okay, would you rather fight the demon you don't know, or the one you do?" Jango asked, causing all the Pirates to flinch. "It's either fight him, or deal with an unhappy Captain Kuro."

"Well… when you put it like that…" the pirate returned.

"Well, you and Nami can fight them up close," Usopp reasoned. "I'll stay back here and cover you two."

"Why me?!" Nami whined. "How can I help out? I'm not a strong fighter, I'm just a cute girl!"

"Oh yeah? Well, just because I'm a guy doesn't mean that I'm stronger than you!" Usopp countered. "Besides, I'm scared silly! Just look at my legs!" His legs were rattling again, partly from fear and partly from him trying to get out of it. "I can't even move!"

"That's a lie!" Nami snapped. "You and I _both_ know that!"

"At this rate, we'll only have to deal with the swordsman," Jango muttered as the Black Cats and Zoro all pulled a sweat-drop-take.

"Wait, we only have to deal with the swordsman!" one of the pirates realized from Jango's statement. "That means we can just rush him and smash the other two! Then we'll be home free!" The pirates girded their loins and roared once more. "Let's get 'em, boys!" Their confidence shakily restored, the Black Cat Pirates charged back up the hill.

"Idiots, we have the high ground," Zoro muttered. "They won't stand a chance."

"We have to stop them!" Nami said. "If they get past Zoro, we're goners!"

"You act like they can," Zoro huffed as he dashed down, quickly cutting down some of the pirates and knocking them back down the hill.

"Good job, Zoro!" Usopp cheered. However, the next wave used their comrades to vault over Zoro and charged back up the hill past him.

"Dammit!" Zoro said as he had to deal with another wave coming at him and the resurgence of the first wave.

"Zoro!" Nami shrieked. "Come help us!"

"Wait, I've got some caltrops in here!" Usopp said, digging into his satchel. "That'll stop them from getting up here!"

"Why didn't you say so earlier!?" Nami reprobated. "Give them here!" The two quickly grabbed handfuls of the caltrops and threw them down the hill.

"Go to hell!" the two cowards yelled in joy as the Black Cats stepped on the caltrops, freezing their charge as they had to avoid the caltrops and pull the ones out they stepped on.

"And now, to push them back!" Usopp said, grabbing some of his ammo. "Eat this! **Lead Star!** " Usopp unloaded the metal balls into the various parts of the Black Cats, aiming for feet, knees, foreheads, anywhere that could stun or trip. "Yes! It's working!"

"Great work, Usopp!" Nami said, patting him on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work! I'll just take a break for a minute!"

"Hey, the fight's not over yet!" Usopp snapped at her with shark-like teeth.

"AAH!" Nami shrieked.

"What now?" Usopp asked as he turned around.

"There's caltrops behind us too!" Nami pointed out, a wide path of them blocking her escape route.

"You idiot! You threw those ones!" Usopp rebuked as he turned back to Zoro. "Oh crap, Zoro can't get back up to us because of the caltrops!"

"Way to notice it now, genius," Zoro chided as he cut down another pirate.

"Usopp, look out!" Nami warned as a stone hammer wielder leaped up behind him and smashed the back of Usopp's head, leaving his blood to flow free.

"Idiot, did you think that you two could stop us?" the hammer-wielder mocked as his comrades walked slowly up the cliff. "Let's go! Captain Kuro's waiting for us!" They started back up the cliff, sure Nami wouldn't stop them, until the hammer-wielder stopped. "Huh?" Usopp was still on the ground, but he grabbed tight on the pirate's leg. "Hey, let go!" He slammed his hammer a few more times on Usopp, but Usopp's grip stayed iron-strong.

"I… will never… let you go…" Usopp groaned as he struggled to stand with each progressive hit. "I won't let you go… because I want my village to still think I'm a liar!" He managed to push himself off the ground, his face dripping with his own blood. "And that this village will be as peaceful as ever!"

"Usopp…" Nami said under her breath.

"He's a good man," Zoro said as he finished pushing back the Black Cat Pirates he dealt with. "Now to get back up the hill!"

"I'll shut you up, you brat!" a sword-wielding pirate chortled as he charged to stab Usopp. Nami quickly drove her staff into the pirate's skull, knocking him to the ground.

"Damn bitch!" another said, swinging his own cutlass at her. Nami blocked, but the sheer force of his swing knocked her into the cliff-side.

"Ow…" Nami whimpered as Zoro tried to knock the caltrops away.

"Nami…" Usopp mumbled as he collapsed again. "You…"

"Might as well kill these two," the hammer-wielder reasoned, drawing his own sword.

"You idiots! Just go attack the village before Zoro can get to you!" Jango castigated. "If you mess up the plan, Captain Kuro will kill us all! Get the first wave through and I'll deal with Zoro!'

"R-right Captain Jango!" the pirates agreed as they charged up the cliff in a panic. "To the village!"

"No… get back here… you bastards!" Usopp begged as he got to his knees. "Stop!" He grabbed onto the sash of one of the pirates. "Don't attack the village!"

"Get off, you pest!" the pirate grunted as he kicked Usopp back down the cliff. "Chaaaaarge!"

"Please… I'm begging you!" Usopp pleaded to the heavens. "Don't kill the villagers!" As if heaven itself answered, Usopp was stunned as he saw the pirates fly high into the air. Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw the answer to his plea. "Thank… thank God…"

"Took you long enough," Nami grumbled as she braced herself with her staff.

"About time," Zoro chuckled as he leaned his blade on his shoulder, looking at the pirates that had been knocked clean past him back to the shore.

"C-Captain Jango… this guy…" one of the pirates whimpered. "He's a bigger monster than Zoro!"

"Okay, now I'm pissed, and I'm going to vent all over their ugly mugs," Randy rumbled as he cracked his knuckles.

"That kid… shouldn't he be dead?" Jango asked in confusion.

"Randy, did you fall asleep or something?" Zoro asked as he made his way past the caltrops.

"Unfortunately," Randy huffed as he stepped up to Usopp.

"Holy crap…" Usopp gaped as he looked at Randy. "I didn't think you were that strong…"

"Usopp, I survived falling head-first off a cliff," Randy reminded. "This is just a warm-up for me."

"If you're done warming up, maybe you should take over," Nami said, standing herself up.

"I wouldn't mind doing that," Randy replied as he walked over to Nami, and checked her over. "You're not banged up too bad, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nami said, taking some calming breaths.

"Do you mind if I borrow your bo-staff?" Randy asked.

"I… sure, I guess," Nami said. "You know how to use one?"

"I've been using one since I was a kid," Randy laughed as he gently took Nami's staff, giving it a tentative spin. "Not bad, well balanced, solid wood choice. I kinda miss my pipe though. Maybe I'll pick up something in the next town."

"C-Captain Jango…" the pirates groaned as they stood up. "We can't do it. That Zoro guy cut us apart…"

"We don't have it in us to handle that new kid!" another argued.

"You idiots are so soft," Jango commented as the pirates collected themselves. "I guess since they're so strong, I'll just have to make you stronger." He pulled out his pendulum again. "Now, look at my ring. After I say 'One, Two, Jango', your wounds will heal, and you'll become monstrously strong!"

"What's he doing?" Usopp asked.

"He's a hypnotist, remember?" Nami reiterated. "He's trying to make them think they're stronger! But it's so absurd!"

"No, the human mind is a strange thing," Randy clarified. "They're desperate enough to believe anything right now, and hypnosis only works if you let it."

"One… Two… JANGO!" Jango roared as the Black Cat Pirates roared in return, throwing their arms up as their eyes glassed over in rage.

"N-no way! They were barely able to stand just a second ago!" Nami gasped. One of the pirates who was unarmed slammed his fist into the side of the cliff, cracking it all the way to the top and breaking off the cliff's corner.

"He crushed the wall with his bare hand!" Zoro stated. "How did they gain so much power?"

"Th-they really were hypnotized!" Nami shrieked.

"If one guy can crush a wall like that…" Usopp panicked, "Then imagine what the lot of them can do!"

"Now go, and kill those pests!" Jango ordered as the Black Cats charged up the cliff.

"Nami, take Usopp and get up the slope!" Zoro ordered. "We'll take care of this."

"No telling me twice!" Nami said as she slung Usopp's arm over her shoulder and helped him limp away.

"You ready for this, Randy?" Zoro asked, Nami and Usopp taking cover on top of the cliffside.

"Zoro, you stand back for a bit," Randy said as he took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'll be fine."

"Are you crazy?" Zoro asked as he tied his bandana on.

"Sometimes… crazy works," Randy replied as he dashed forward towards the Black Cats.

"One man against an army of monsters?" Jango laughed. "You're either brave, or stupid." The Black Cats charged up the slope, Randy only spinning his borrowed weapon like it was a helicopter rotor as he dashed down the slope.

"I'm going to blow you all away!" Randy roared as he kicked himself into a tornado-like spin. **"Hard Air… Rising Dragon!"** Randy swung with all his might, throwing the air current upwards and taking the Black Cat Pirates with it. "And…" Randy continued his movement, striking the pole's tip into the ground and launching himself into the air like a pole-vaulter. **"Hard Air… GATTLING GUN!"** Randy launched a rapid-fire series of air-punches, slamming the Black Cats back into the ground like falling rocks.

"Did… did he just punch them with the air?!" Jango asked in astonishment. "How did he do that?!"

"What's the matter?" Randy heckled, landing gracefully just in time to catch the borrowed staff from falling. "You can't beat one man with an army of monsters?"

"Holy… Randy is a monster too!" Usopp gaped. "Did he get hypnotized along with them?"

"Only an idiot would have fallen for that," Zoro commented. "Still, surprising us with combat prowess seems to be the norm now."

"C-Captain Jango…" the pirates groaned as Randy calmly walked back up the cliff. "He's… too strong…"

"What a monster…" Jango grumbled.

Randy smiled as he handed Nami her staff back. "Here you are, and no worse for the wear," Randy proudly stated.

"Th-thanks," Nami said, still somewhat stunned. "But what are you gonna do now? What's stopping him from just hypnotizing them again?"

"Oh, I've got an idea," Randy smirked as he dashed back towards the Black Cats. "Come here, ya blighters!"

"CAPTAIN JANGO!" the pirates shrieked as they ran back towards their ship, tears flowing like running water.

"Yeah, go Randy!" Nami cheered as Randy dashed around the pirates, causing them to trip and fall as he ran for their ship.

"What's he doing now?!" Jango queried shakily as Randy flashed a rather bloodthirsty-looking grin.

"There is no escape," Randy chortled in a gravely tone. "I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth… I am your god of death!" The Black Cats shrieked like scared kittens, trying their best to hide behind each other as Randy's hands ripped into the stone and cracked a boulder out. "Now… TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN!"

"When I say 'One, Two, Jango', you'll fall asleep!" Jango yelped as he whipped out his pendulum, Randy winding back with the boulder. "One, Two, Jango!" Randy hurled the stone at the pirates, slamming it into them.

"…well, I missed one," Randy said as he noticed Jango had fallen asleep for a moment, the thud of the stone waking him up.

"Th… This kid… he ruined the whole plan!" Jango said in pants-wetting fear. "If Kuro sees this… he'll kill us all!"

"Well, that's my work done for now," Randy said, walking calmly back up the cliff once more.

"Man, you didn't leave anything for me," Zoro chuckled. "Mind if I take the next fight myself?"

"Alright, I'll hold you to it, Zoro," Randy replied, smirking a bit as he clapped his First Mate on the shoulder. "But if it's Kuro, I'll take care of him."

"Fair deal, Captain," Zoro agreed as Randy got back up to where Usopp and Nami were waiting up on the cliff by the forest's edge. "I'm gonna take a power nap." Randy plopped down next to Nami and laid back. "I haven't slept a wink."

"You passed out on your way over here," Nami scolded as she gave him a light rap on the head with her staff. "You should be fine."

"Okay, I just want to take a break, but can you blame me?" Randy asked. "Being an intimidating monster takes a lot of work."

"You're scary when you want to be…" Usopp said plainly.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Randy asked. Nami looked a bit pensive, as if calling back some unpleasant memories.

"Buchi, what was with all the noise?" a voice called out from the ship.

"I think it came from the shore," a second voice added.

"Th-that voice! It's the Nyaban Brothers!" the Black Cats realized.

"That's right… the ship's guards…" Jango said, feeling a bit calmer. "We still have those two…"

"Sounds like they've got some reserves," Zoro said, tapping his blade on his shoulder. "Good, I could use some more practice."

"You fools… you're all going to die," the Black Cats chuckled.

"Come on down, Nyanban Brothers!" Jango ordered.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry to cut it here, but I think the Nyanban Brothers are better suited for their own fight. But we'll get to the reviews!**_

 _ **To JJsanoguel98:**_

 **Randy: I mean, that was such a good idea, and DBZA is awesome regardless.**

 _ **A/N: When you think about it, I needed a way to keep Luffy entertained in Randy's mindscape, otherwise he'd be constantly complaining about his boredom.**_

 **Luffy: Shishishi! I want to fight that Goku guy!**

 **Randy & _A/N_ : NOT _NOW!_**

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks! I needed to show how differently Randy will be handling things, as many have been pointing out. It's part of the reason I'm getting stuck for the next chapter. I'm still not the best at choreographing long fights. Thankfully I have a writer friend who can do that better than I can.**_

 **Randy: Heh, guess you've got your own crew too.**

 _ **To Mrbooeyx1:**_

 _ **A/N: As for hinting on his Devil Fruit, I've dropped a few hints here and there, but I'll try to be a bit less subtle in the future.**_

 **Randy: Don't spoil it for them though, cause that's half the fun here.**

 _ **A/N: But I promise you this, I'll be revealing his Devil Fruit before we leave for the Grand Line.**_

 _ **To crash Barecode:**_

 **Randy: Thanks for the support. We'll do our best to keep you glued to your screen.**

 _ **A/N: As for other One Piece fics I'd personally recommend, another Self-Insert that's handling itself well for now is Ripples in the Pond by TheRealEvanSG, which kinda has some stuff from his previous works. For new character inserts, if you don't mind the slightly more gruesome descriptions due to the outside material they've drawn from, I'd highly suggest Spiraling Shark by The Fifth Rider of Armageddon, This Never Ending Dream by Laradhel, Black Thunder Of The Straw Hats by Vergil Leonidas, and One Piece: Monster of the Straw Hat Pirates by KP360. They've all done a good job at either adding a single character or adding an alternate party. And last but not least, some Time Travel fics I watch are Second Wind by The-Lost-Samurai and New Game Plus by DuncanIdaho2014.**_

 **Randy: All good choices.**

 _ **To AngelFaux:**_

 **Randy: Yeah, your review showed up, sometimes it just takes a while to show up publicly.**

 _ **A/N: Regardless, I'm glad I can keep you in suspense, and hopefully show that sometimes a Devil Fruit User with a less combat applicable power might not need to always use it.**_

 _ **To Lauri3n:**_

 _ **A/N: Yes, I am. Mostly because if Randy is going to be the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, he'd feel far too guilty about keeping this a secret to not tell them. While Luffy didn't feel the need to spill the beans on his own past, which he doesn't need to unless it becomes relevant, this is another matter entirely. It's a matter of trust, and how would you react if your best friend told you that they were actually spying on you for the entirety of your life before you met them and they knew you like the back of their hand, right down to all your embarrassing secrets?**_

 **Randy: I'd probably flip and accuse them of just using me or something.**

 _ **A/N: Exactly. But we'll address that in the future.**_

 _ **To Vergil Leonidas:**_

 **Randy: Hey! Thanks for giving us a look, and for the reviews!**

 _ **A/N: Yes, I'll agree at first, I didn't really deviate much from the canon, and was practically just slapping a Randy Skin on the Luffy Avatar. But thanks to feedback from you guys, I've been trying to deviate more from what Luffy does to more what I'd have Randy do in that scenario.**_

 **Randy: And I... guess I'm glad you find Luffy causing me narcolepsy funny like all the others.**

 _ **A/N: Don't give me that, it's comedy gold and you know it. And glad to hear you liked the Street Fighter drop!**_

 **Randy: Hey, ask me if you can have some punch.**

 _ **A/N: ...can I have some punch?**_

 **Randy: SURE-YOU-CAN! *launches into a Shoryuken and launches A/N into the ceiling***

 **Luffy: That wasn't nice.**

 **Randy: He'll get over it. But that's all for now! Thanks for your viewership, and please rate, review, and fav and follow if you haven't already! Next time our gracious author will be over his concussion.**

 _ **A/N: I... am going to get you... for that.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Sorry for the wait, everyone. Work's been fluctuating and depression's kicked in once or twice.**_

 **Randy: You also had to deal with that art contest you entered for a friend.**

 _ **A/N: Well... yeah...**_

 **Randy: Just don't let yourself get stuck in a rut with super-strong focusing.**

 _ **A/N: Says the product of my imagination. Anyway, I've got a few more changes in store from my original ideas about the next arc, so we'll be getting to that sooner than I thought! In the mean time, enjoy this chapter, please!**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters that reside in the world, only new characters I create and any additional characterization I write for this story.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 13: Black Cats and Bad Luck_**

* * *

"Buchi, what was with all the noise?" a voice called out from the ship.

"I think it came from the shore," a second voice added.

"Th-that voice! It's the Nyaban Brothers!" the Black Cats realized.

"That's right… the ship's guards…" Jango said, feeling a bit calmer. "We still have those two…"

"Sounds like they've got some reserves," Zoro said, tapping his blade on his shoulder. "Good, I could use some more practice."

"You fools… you're all going to die," the Black Cats chuckled.

"Come on down, Nyanban Brothers!" Jango ordered.

"Hey, the Captain's calling for us," a green-haired skinny man said as he rubbed his chin.

"What? They haven't gone down to the village yet?" his more rotund partner questioned. "What's keeping them?"

"Hey look! Everyone's been beaten down!" the thin one realized.

"That's weird… let's go down and see what's up!" the wide one said. The duo leaped high into the air off the ship's bow, landing on their feet perfectly.

"Hello, Nyanban Brothers," Jango smoothly said. "Good to see you."

The first was a thin man with a hunchback, green haired with a long-curled bang and matching sideburns. "You called, Captain Jango?" he asked, flicking his black-gloved claws like a cat's paw. This was Sham, the first of the Nyanban Brothers.

His partner was much more round than he was, with fangs and a dopey look on his face. "What's up?" he continued, flicking his white-gloved claws in eagerness, his belled neck jangling a bit. This was Buchi, the second of the Nyanban Brothers.

"What are they?" Nami asked as we looked upon the newcomers from our safe spot on top of the cliff.

"The way they leaped and landed perfectly… they're like cats," Usopp observed.

"Well, they do fit the motif better than the grunts of the crew," Randy commented.

"Buchi, Sham, these brats are blocking the slope," Jango summarized. "Now go and destroy them!"

"What?! How can we… Buchi, we can't beat them…" Sham whined.

"Y-Yeah! Those guys look really strong!" Buchi argued.

"What's going on?" Usopp asked. "They aren't that confident…"

"It seems that way…" Zoro observed.

"They seem really scared," Nami stated.

"Looks can be deceiving," Randy chimed in. "Remember, we're dealing with a crew that was run by Captain Kuro, the 'Man of a Hundred Plans'."

"Right…" Zoro said. "Still, it doesn't sit right with me."

"We're just the ship's guards, Captain!" Sham argued.

"Yeah, we don't want to participate in a fight like this!" Buchi agreed as the two cat-like brothers shrugged.

"Sham! Go now!" Jango ordered.

"But why me?!" Sham complained.

"Just go!" Jango punctuated.

"Fine, fine, I'm going!" Sham said, tears welling up as he jogged up the pass.

"What's going on?" Nami asked. "If they're so strong, why are they acting like cowards?"

"Prepare to die!" Sham whined as he flailed his way up the slope. "I'll shred you with my claws!"

"What can you do with those claws of yours?" Zoro asked. "If you keep coming, I'm going to kill you!"

"Just you?" Sham asked as his expression flipped like a switch. "You can't kill me."

"What?" Zoro snapped as Sham swung his claw at his head, forcing Zoro to block the swipe. "You…"

"You thought I was a coward?" Sham asked as he backed up. "It's so much easier to get someone's guard down with that act."

"So he was just acting scared?!" Usopp realized.

"I tried to warn him," Randy sighed. "Deception is a common tactic among pirates, and one such as Kuro would be used to it."

"Zoro, your swords!" Nami called as Zoro realized he was missing two somethings on his sash.

"Hey, where'd they go?!" Zoro asked as he looked around.

"You look pretty skilled," Sham commented, "but your mistake was underestimating me, Sham, of the Nyanban Brothers!" He chuckled as Zoro noticed where his swords had gone. "What? Are you missing something?" Zoro scowled as Sham laughed, his two missing Katanas on the cat-man's back. "I don't know where your swords are."

"There it is, Sham's **Cat Burglar** technique," Buchi chuckled.

" _That bastard stole my swords when I wasn't looking!"_ Zoro chided himself. "Give me back my Katanas."

"Oh? Isn't one enough for you?" Sham taunted. "Oh right… Before we get to fighting…" He smirked as he threw Zoro's swords down the slope. "I should really lighten my load." Zoro's face scowled harder as he saw Sham lick his "paws". "I don't need to carry around junk."

"You need to learn to respect someone's weapons!" Zoro rumbled as he dashed in quickly, slicing through Sham's side with ease. Zoro dashed on past him, looking to grab his katanas.

"Such power…" Usopp commented astonishedly.

"Did you think you actually just cut me now?" Sham said as he pounced on Zoro.

"You know, actually, no," Zoro countered as he turned on heel and swung his blade at Sham's face, forcing the pirate to block with his claws. "I already got a reminder once of knowing what it's like to cut flesh."

"But… but how?!" Sham snarled as he jumped back, revealing Zoro had only cut his shirt. "My act was foolproof!"

"I've fought someone who did something pretty similar," Zoro chided as he focus on Sham. "I hate to admit it, but Randy was right. I got too used to just cutting everything down."

"When did you say that?" Usopp asked as he turned to me.

"Back when we were sailing from Orange Town," Randy said, smirking a bit. "I reminded Zoro that he needs to stay aware of his surroundings. Otherwise he would have noticed the lack of blood coming from Buggy's body when he cut him."

"I'm kinda glad you did, cause it's saving him some trouble now," Nami agreed as Sham hissed a bit as he bared his claws.

"Fine then!" Sham said as he charged at Zoro. "Buchi! Go for it!"

"Right, brother!" Buchi roared as he leaped into the air, forcing Zoro to look behind him. " **Cat-a-pult…** "

"Pay attention now," Sham said, grabbing Zoro's legs and wrenching them out from underneath him. "I'm not fighting alone."

"You sneaky…" Zoro grumbled as Sham locked his legs using his own.

" **CAT-TASTROPHE!** " Buchi roared as he dropped from his apex intent on smashing Zoro's head in. However, Zoro slammed his free hand on the ground and rolled away, Sham removing himself from the grapple to avoid being hit by Buchi's stomp. Nami and Usopp shuddered as Buchi's foot cracked the stone of the slope.

"Dammit! He got away!" Sham cursed as Zoro picked himself back up.

"Sham, next time hold him down properly!" Buchi scolded his brother.

"I know, I know," Sham pushed off as he and Zoro stood back up. "But he's stronger than I expected."

"Dammit… now it's two against one!" Usopp growled. "Those damn pirates…"

"That was too close," Zoro reminded himself. "If I get hit by that, he'll shatter my bones in one strike."

"This time he won't escape," Sham said as he licked his hand like a paw.

"And then we'll be done with him," Buchi agreed.

"I'm not used to a one-sword style," Zoro stated, "but I'll have to make do for now."

"Let's do it, Buchi!" Sham roared.

"We'll give it to him, Sham!" Buchi chimed in.

" **Grand March of the Pussywillows!"** the two brothers howled as they rapidly slashed their claws at Zoro, quickly forcing him on the defensive.

"Zoro can't keep up with them!" Nami yelped. "Randy, help him!"

"I can't," Randy sighed, sitting up. "I promised Zoro the next fight was his, and I don't go back on my word."

"Fine, then I'll help!" Usopp said, loading up his sling. " **Hissatsu: Lead** …" I however grabbed his hands and pushed the slingshot down. "Randy, what are you doing?! Zoro needs help!"

"He does, but that won't help him, Usopp," the straw-hatted Captain scolded. "If you're going to fire at them, that means you want one of them to come over here after us and take the heat off Zoro." Usopp's face paled as he realized what he almost did. "Yeah, don't fire into a melee unless you're sure you can handle it."

"But what can we do? Zoro needs some help!" Usopp said.

"Well, there is one thing we can do," Randy hinted, slyly grinning at Nami.

"What are you looking at me for?" she asked as she looked nervous.

"Well, Jango said that Sham and Buchi are the ship's guards, right?" Randy clarified. "So if the entire crew is off the ship, including the two who are supposed to _guard_ the ship, who do you think is guarding their stolen treasures?" Nami grinned as her eyes turned to Beri signs. "I thought that might interest you. So instead of you running down to the ship, how about we take advantage of this to get you down there and I can get Zoro his swords back?"

"How do you plan on doing that?" Nami asked.

"Well, if you use the forest as cover, you can probably sneak around to the shore-side of the cliff and just climb down," Usopp reasoned as Zoro continued to parry his attackers.

"Then let's go before they notice," Nami said as she started to edge away into the forest. I quickly followed her as we weaved through the trees, hopefully unnoticed.

"Sham, Buchi! Hurry up and finish Zoro off before…" Jango bellowed before freezing up. "Ah… Ah… I-I can explain!"

"What's he talking about?" Nami asked as we peeked out from around the forest's edge.

"Oh crap," Randy cursed as I saw a new figure at the top of the slope. "Looks like Kuro came to investigate."

It was kind of chilling to see how much fear Kuro inspired in his crew, even after three years away from them. Sham and Buchi had frozen up too, shivering in cowardice as Kuro merely glared at them. "Captain… Captain Kuro!" various Black Cats spoke up in trembling panic. "We… we're… done for!"

"It's been quite a bit since sunrise…" Kuro said with a restrained anger. "I was wondering why my plan hadn't been put into action…" His face contorted into a vein-laced mask of fury. "What the hell happened?!"

"We happened, that's what," Randy commented as him and Nami looked on at the scene from their perch.

"Quiet, or he'll notice us!" she scolded in a hush.

"I didn't expect you to be held up by these brats," Kuro continued. "The Black Cat Pirates have become a sorry excuse for a pirate crew. Isn't that right, Jango?!" Jango twitched as Kuro addressed him.

"But… but yesterday… you said to let that kid go," Jango hastily defended, "because he couldn't stop the plan!"

"Yes, I did say that," Kuro agreed as Usopp tried his best to get up and move. "He still can't stop the plan. I expected that he would come after us in vain…" His eyes moved to Usopp for a moment, then back to Jango. "I just didn't think you'd all be so useless! I don't want any more excuses!"

"You… said we were useless?" Sham hissed, gaining some guts back.

"Don't look down on us, Captain Kuro," Buchi chimed in as he glared at Kuro.

"Indeed, you were fearsome in the past…" Sham continued, causing Kuro to focus on the brothers.

"And what do you mean by that?" Kuro inquired.

"For three years… you've been living a pampered life while we kept raiding and fighting!" Sham stated.

"We've fought many foes and sank tons of ships!" Buchi reveled as the two brothers flexed and twitched in anticipation.

"They're in-fighting?" Usopp asked as we all looked at the argument.

"We won't let ourselves die for something stupid like a 'failed plan'!" Sham roared.

"You haven't gone soft after these three years!" Buchi bellowed. "Do you think you can still stop the Nyanban Brothers?!"

"That's true… If those two gang up on him, Captain Kuro might lose!" the Black Cats reasoned. "Those two are our best fighters…" Kuro merely adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand.

"You're no longer our Captain!" Buchi roared.

"Instead of being killed by you quietly, we'll kill you first!" Sham hissed as the two brothers charged at Kuro, winding up for their attack. They swung and shredded what was there, but all they got was the bag Kuro was carrying with him.

"Now who did you say… you were going to kill?" Kuro calmly said, now behind the Nyanban brothers and sporting a pair of large cat paw-like gloves. The Nyanban Brothers froze as Usopp gaped.

"When did he get behind them?!" Usopp yelled.

"That was the **Pussyfoot Maneuver**!" the Black Cats revealed.

"That kinda speed…" Zoro commented, noting how similar it was to his own Captain's movements. "And his weapons…"

"He's behind us?!" Sham hissed as the brothers spun on heel to try to meet Kuro. "Huh?"

"He… disappeared…" Buchi commented as they only saw the shore.

"You're right… I have gotten a bit soft…" Kuro plainly agreed, moving his arms to rest around the Nyanban Brothers' necks. "You're also right in that I'm no longer your Captain…" He moved his thumbs and the katana-like blades on them leveled at the brother's throats, gently poking into the flesh with the blade tips. "However, I am your 'client', and I am a client that will KILL if you don't get results!"

"This is the first time I've seen the Nyanban Brothers get caught…" one of the Black Cats spoke up.

"Even with an unwieldy weapon like that, he can still manhandle the Nyanban Brothers," I commented.

"And they were giving Zoro trouble to begin with…" Nami added.

"What are you hoping to do?" Jango asked, still shivering in fear as he clutched his shirt like it was a bulletproof vest. "The Pussyfoot Maneuver is a silent movement technique. Even if he were fighting fifty assassins, he'd kill them all before they even heard him… we can't escape from this plan." Jango swallowed hard. "I knew Kuro was still a killer when I met him again. Despite it being three years, he still had his habit… to not cut his face when wearing his Cat Claws, he had to use his palm to adjust his glasses… that's how I knew he was still the same killer he was before."

The Black Cats all yelped in fear as Buchi yelled. "OW! AGH!" Buchi hissed as Kuro dug the point of his blade into the fat cat-man's neck.

"After three quiet years… it seems I've become a bit more lenient," Kuro suggested. "I'll give you five minutes. If you can't settle it in that time, none of you will survive. I'll slaughter you all!"

"We don't want to die!" the Black Cats begged.

"Five minutes…" the Nyanban Brothers repeated as they glared at Zoro.

"Dammit… and we actually let this guy in our village for three years?" Usopp pondered.

"Five minutes?!" Jango said with a hint of relief. "Five minutes is all we need! All we have to do is kill Zoro and we can make it up the slope!"

"That's right! He was no match for us just now!" Buchi resolved.

"We can finish this in five seconds!" Sham agreed.

"We will," Randy said, leaping down off the cliff. "Zoro!"

"Randy?!" Zoro said as he saw where I was.

"How did he get there?!" Jango asked as Randy landed close to him.

"That boy… he's still alive?" Kuro asked as Randy ran for Zoro's missing swords.

"Oh no you don't!" Jango declared as he tried to cut me with his chakram.

" **Kami-E!"** Randy smirked as he danced around the ring, picking up Zoro's katanas in the process. "Zoro, head's up!" He threw the katanas as hard as he could, leaving Zoro to catch them handily.

"Thanks, Captain," Zoro chuckled as he put the swords back on his haramaki where they belonged. "You sure you don't want to help?"

"Like I said, I got Kuro," Randy said, cracking his knuckles.

"Quit dreaming!" Sham hissed. "Even with three swords, you're still no match for us!"

"You two don't know the difference…" Zoro stated as he put Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. "Between using three swords and a three-sword technique!"

"Come on, Nyanban Brothers!" The Black Cats cheered. "We're counting on you! Finish this in five minutes!"

"DIE!" the two said as they wound back to shred Zoro.

" **Tiger…"** Zoro pulled his arms so the blades were behind his left shoulder, perpendicular to the blade in his mouth. **"HUNT!"** Faster than the Nyanban Brothers could move, Zoro cut them with all three blades, the slashing motion resembling a pair of fangs that ripped through them. Usopp, Nami, Jango, and the Black Cats looked on in astonishment, while Kuro only glared murderously.

"One… one attack! That's all it took to defeat the Nyanban Brothers!" the Black Cats shrieked in disbelief. Zoro then pointed his blade at Kuro as if calling him out.

"Five minutes will be all I need… to take care of all of you!" Zoro resolved.

"I'd like to see you try," Kuro rumbled as he adjusted his glasses once more.

"C… CAPTAIN JANGO!" Buchi coughed as he pushed himself to his knees. "I'll… I'll kill that bastard… So please… Hypnotize me!"

"Looks like I'm not the only one being lenient today," Kuro quipped as Zoro focused on Buchi once more.

"Damn, must be because of that blubber on him," he reasoned as Buchi roared in primal fury, much like the Black Cats before. "More hypnosis?! If he could crack the ground before… what's he gonna be like now?"

"Hmm?" Jango grunted as he saw Nami making her way towards the Bezan Black, ship of the Black Cat Pirates, "You… where do you think you're going, girl?"

"Crap, he saw me!" Nami cursed as she ran closer to the ship.

"You won't get away that easily!" Jango roared as he threw his ring at her, intent on cutting her down.

"Nami, duck!" Zoro barked as Randy bolted for her as well.

"Wait, that thing's a blade!" Nami realized as she turned around to see Jango's ring coming at her, Randy hot on its metaphorical heels.

"It's a blade too?!" Usopp yelped. "That'll cut her in two!"

"No, it won't!" Randy roared, grabbing the chakram from its airborne path, making its spin grind to a halt. "Phew, just in time…"

" _That brat is fairly quick on his feet…"_ Kuro observed. _"No matter, my_ **Pussyfoot Maneuver** _is faster."_

"R-Randy…" Nami whispered with wide eyes as he only just noticed he was clutching the chakram hard enough to make it cut his skin. "You…"

"Damn it…" Randy hissed, dropping the ring to the ground and shaking his hand. "I didn't have time to protect myself or get a kunai out…" He turned and glared at Jango, causing a wave of panicked screams to elicit from the Black Cats. "You are SO lucky I have to fight Kuro today, or else I'd cave your face in for trying to hurt Nami."

"Th-that so, kid?" Jango said, shaking a bit as he managed barely to stand his ground.

"You… you didn't have to…" Nami said, looking at Randy's bleeding palm.

"I didn't have to, but I should have and I wanted to," he calmly said as he pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket and tied it around open cut. "I'd really rather not see you get hurt if I can prevent it." He was looking up the slope, so he didn't even notice it at the time that Nami's cheeks were flushing a bit. "You, or any of my Nakama."

"Then it's up to you, Randy," Nami said, drawing my attention back to her. "You're the only one who can finish this fight." He smiled at her, and she gave a fist-pump. "I'll take care of the treasure."

"Never a dull moment," Randy chuckled as he refocused on the slope.

"Three more minutes…" Kuro said, idly checking the watch on his right wrist. "And you'll all be dead."

"There's no hope left!" the Black Cats wailed. "Even with Captain Jango and Buchi, there's no way we can stop those two in time!"

"With three minutes left… Buchi, take care of the guy with the haramaki!" Jango ordered, producing two more rings. "I'll deal with the Straw Hat-kid!"

"Klahador, stop this!" a voice resounded despite its normally soft-spoken origin. Many of us, Kuro included, were surprised to see Kaya at the top of the slope.

"Kaya! Wh-why are you here?!" Usopp demanded.

"Wait, she's the lady from the mansion!" Jango realized. "She's the target of the mission!"

"So wait, we don't have to go into the village?" the Black Cats pieced together in a glimmer of hope. "We just have to kill her!"

"You surprised me, Miss Kaya…" Kuro stated, adjusting his glasses in his signature style. "What are you doing here?"

"Merry told me everything," Kaya retorted.

"Merry's still alive?" Kuro asked in shock. "I showed no mercy to him. He's tougher than I thought." Kaya looked completely shocked at how casually Kuro said that.

"I'm so sorry, Usopp…" Kaya said, her first balled tight. "I know you won't forgive me so easily, but… I just can't believe Klahador is a pirate!"

"Never mind that, what are you doing here still?!" Usopp said. "You should have run like I said! These pirates are gonna kill you!"

"Aren't you fighting for the village too?!" Kaya countered, tears dripping down her cheeks. "We treated you so badly… and yet, here you are, fighting for us…"

"We're different!" Usopp tried to differentiate. "I'm a brave warrior of the seas, and…"

"Klahador, if you want my fortune, I'll give it all to you!" Kaya interjected. "Just please, leave the village!"

Kuro stared at her for a moment before adjusting his glasses. "Miss Kaya, it's not only fortune I'm after, I want 'peace of mind' too," Kuro explained. "I spent three years here gaining the people's trust. I feel at peace here. Once I've obtained your fortune along with that peace, my plan will be complete." He closed his eyes, not even caring to look at Kaya. "That's why having my crew attack this village, and killing you, is essential to my plan." Kaya was left breathless at Kuro's cold, callous words.

"Kaya, run! Don't bother trying to talk him out of it!" Usopp begged. "He's not the butler you've come to know!" Kaya however, swallowed her fear and pulled a flintlock pistol out of her jacket, aiming it straight for Kuro.

"Leave this village!" she ordered.

"So… you've gotten stronger over these three years…" Kuro said, calmly striding towards her slowly. "Do you remember everything that's happened? We've been together for so long… We traveled the seas…" Kaya twitched as memories of "Klahador" came back to her. "We went shopping together… when you fell ill, I stayed with you at your bedside… We're been through good times and bad… I suffered under you, Miss Kaya." Kaya's eyes welled up with more tears as Kuro stomped on her good memories of him. "I've suffered under your heel, taking care of your every whim… All so I can kill you today." Kuro's face darkened to the sound of Kaya's heart breaking, the pistol slipping from her grip.

"Bastard…" Usopp hissed through clenched teeth.

"I was a feared Pirate Captain… and to lower myself to serve a whiny, nosy little girl…" Kuro continued, Kaya's heart further sinking into the ground. "All so you could come to love me… Can you understand how _demeaning_ that is?!"

"KURO!" Usopp roared as he grabbed the dropped pistol and leveled it at Kuro's face with an ease as if he'd held one all his life. The shot rang out, but Kuro vanished from in front of Usopp.

"Usopp… now that I think of it…" Kuro monologued as he flickered back in beside Usopp, who was left prone from his adrenaline dropping. "I still owe you for that punch yesterday… my cheek still stings from it…"

" **SORU!"** Kuro's eyes couldn't get any wider as he saw Randy appear right between him and Usopp, and his fist blurred as it collided with his jaw.

"What the hell?!" Jango bellowed as Kuro tumbled to the ground a good yard or two away from Usopp, Kaya, and Randy.

"No way, he moved like Captain Kuro!" the Black Cats yelled in disbelief. "And he knocked him down with one punch!"

"So, you don't like being punched eh?" Randy growled as everyone else could feel the heat from Kuro as he glared skyward. "Well, I guess you're just going to LOVE me, because I've got about a hundred more where that came from!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Alright, sorry for this one being a wall of text, but there was no good way to break it up from my point of view.**_

 **Randy: Regardless, we can move onto the reviews now.**

 _ **To Vergil Leonidas:**_

 _ **A/N: Yeah, Luffy stepping in when he thinks he's right is a thing he does regardless of whether or not it's the right thing. In this case, I can play it up for comedy.**_

 **Randy: Much to my irksome displeasure.**

 _ **A/N: And back to Buggy's potential, that's a HUGE thing I always do with characters regardless. I like to analyze people's powers and figure out new or unique uses for them. The thing about Buggy is that he's never going to train his fruit beyond what he feels like he needs to do. For example, after the timeskip, he's using his powers to make himself look more imposing, while also accidentally pulling a Trebol at the same time. A smart move that he probably never intended to do.**_

 **Luffy: Trebol? You mean the snot guy from Mingo's crew?**

 **Randy: ...yes Luffy, him.**

 _ **A/N: And you're welcome for the shout-out!**_

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 **Luffy: Yeah! Randy promised and it's Zoro's fight anyway!**

 _ **To JJsanoguel98:**_

 _ **A/N: At this rate, I might end up focusing on the filler or movies I like and mentioning the rest in passing. There's a few movies I want to tackle, and I'll definitely be doing those.**_

 **Randy: Thanks for the support as well!**

 _ **To AngelFaux:**_

 _ **A/N: Well, you'll be waiting a bit longer for the fight with Kuro! Mwahahahahaha!**_

 **Randy: Now you got him started again.**

 _ **To likeI'lltellyou:**_

 **Randy: Well, I hope you read further than chapter 2, cause Luffy's still here, in spirit.**

 **Luffy: No, I'm in your head.**

 **Randy: ...goddammit Luffy.**

 _ **To pinkus-pyon:**_

 **Randy: Um... translation please?**

 _ **A/N: Hang on... Okay, to respond in order: Thanks! Yeah, I'm already trying to plan out how Randy's going to be fighting some of Luffy's tougher foes in my head. The Marineford War is far off, but it'll come eventually. At one point, there is going to be some information dropped, and there'll be a good reason for it soon enough. And yeah, Luffy would be super interested in our world's TV and video games 'cause-**_

 **Luffy: It's all so cool! Shishishishi!**

 _ **A/N: Yeah, and thanks for the support!**_

 _ **To anquan16:**_

 **Randy: Thanks!**

 _ **To Klutzybear:**_

 _ **A/N: You're right, that's been a big flaw of my writing until recently. I've been working to improve that as well, and to not make Randy a straight-up Luffy Clone. But you also have to remember that Luffy's personality was shaped by his experiences in life, which Randy was forced to experience as well. That's gonna change him a bit from what he originally was like from the point he was reincarnated.**_

 _ **As well, you made me think about his past a little more, and I'll be addressing that in the future as well, when it comes time to reveal things. So if you're reading this, thanks for the feedback.**_

 _ **to BlueAutumn12:**_

 **Randy: Thanks! And this is why I love doing this, it keeps people guessing!**

 _ **A/N: Doesn't help that for whatever reason, every Devil Fruit user, especially for Paramecia Users, tends to blurt out their powers and a brief summary of their granted abilities.**_

 _ **To tanithlipsky:**_

 **Randy: Yeah, Buggy has potential, but he's a moron, so he won't use it.**

 _ **A/N: And that's all for now! Next time on One Piece: Broken Locks, Randy and Kuro square off at last, and we'll be wrapping up the fighting for this arc!**_

 **Randy: Until then, take care!**

 **Luffy: NO KIRIYA!**

 **Randy: ...he's watching Ex-Aid, isn't he?**

 _ **A/N: ...yep.**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: I don't really have any thoughts aside from work's been killer lately, and thankfully I can scrounge up some time to work on this at least. Kinda want to focus on other things too...**_

 **Randy: Oh no, don't you start this again. Just do what makes you happy man.**

 _ **A/N: I know, I know...**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. I only own the original characters I create for this fanfic, and any additional character exploration I create.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 14: Randy Vs. Kuro**_

* * *

The air was thick with tension as Randy cracked his knuckles, Kuro's eyes rolling to focus their glare at the straw hat-wearing young man.

"This is bad… Captain Kuro's really angry now!" The Black Cat Pirates murmured. "What are we gonna do?!"

"Now's our chance!" a trio of voices yelled as Jango froze at their actions.

"Guys, no!" Usopp called as the Veggie Trio leaped at Kuro's prone head, each wielding a blunt, improvised weapon. "How did they find out?!"

"They shouldn't be here!" Kaya gasped in worry.

"Take this, and this!" Onion said as he swung away with the flat side of a shovel.

"You damn pirate!" Pepper snapped as he swung his baseball bat. "Trying to attack our village!"

"Die, you bastard!" Carrot chimed in, wailing on Kuro's face to make a pancake out of it with his frying pan.

"Wha-what the hell are those kids doing?!" the Black Cats shrieked.

"Stop it, all of you!" Usopp ordered. "Stop it now!"

"Those kids are gonna get themselves killed…" Zoro grimly observed.

"Fine… we'll have mercy on him…" Carrot grumbled as the Veggie Trio backed off. "Captain, you were fighting these guys all on your own!"

"Yeah, why didn't you tell us?" Pepper inquired. "Don't you trust us?"

"Yeah, we're your crew!" Onion agreed.

"It's too dangerous, guys!" Usopp snapped. "You need to run and get away from here as fast as possible!"

"We won't leave you, Captain!" Carrot resolved.

"We want to fight with you!" Pepper agreed.

"And if we don't, what will happen to the Usopp Pirates?!" Onion asked. Much to the trio's shock, Kuro calmly sat up, and adjusted his glasses. You could see the trio's courage breaking much like Kuro's shattered glasses.

"WAAAAHHH!" The Veggio Trio shrieked in fear as they backed up and fell on their butts.

"Run, you idiots!" Usopp barked. Kuro however simply walked past the Veggie Pirates and kicked Usopp down the slope.

"Captain!" the Veggie Trio yelped in concern as Kuro's gaze calmly refocused back onto Randy.

"I have to admit, I'm curious," Kuro droned. "I never thought I'd meet someone else in the East Blue who can move at the same speed I can. How did you do it?"

"Honestly, I'd love to ask you the same thing," Randy countered. "I got the idea a few years back and trained my butt off to reach this speed. Though I do admit I am cheating a bit with my Devil Fruit."

"A Devil Fruit… that would explain how an idiot like you can reach the same heights I can," Kuro spat venomously. "I almost feel insulted."

"So wait, he cheats with his Devil Fruit?" Jango asked amid the murmurs of the Black Cat Pirates. "Then maybe he's just got a luck-based power! That would explain how he survived that fall and caught my blade just in time!"

"Heh, you wish I had the Luck-Luck Fruit," Randy chuckled as he turned to look at Jango for a moment. "Mine is around the same level of combat application, and I do admit I'd be using the same amount of subterfuge as someone with that power."

-X-

Miles away, deep in the New World, a red-haired woman with tan skin sneezed into her black-gloved hands. "Odd…" she muttered, looking down on a massive gold-lined casino from the viewing area she was in.

"Is something wrong, Baccarat?" a large man in a pink and white two-piece suit asked as he leaned up from his chair.

"No, Gild…" Baccarat replied, rubbing her chin. "I just have the oddest feeling someone is talking about me."

"Well, think nothing of it," Gild Tesoro laughed as he spread his arms wide, displaying the gold jewelry he adorned his body with. "We have a long night of performances ahead of us!"

"Yes, I guess we do," Baccarat replied, smiling to herself as she sauntered back down to the casino below.

-X-

"Enough of this prattle," Kuro hissed. "Jango!"

"Y-Yes Captain!" Jango snapped to attention.

"I'll take care of this brat!" Kuro declared as he placed his palms together, fingers splayed wide with the blades stretching out like branches. "You take care of Kaya. Make her write the will, and then kill her!" Kaya froze as Kuro casually said his intentions once more. "And those three ants over there." The Veggie Trio all snapped to attention as chills ran down their spines. "They're annoying me."

"Got it," Jango confirmed as he adjusted his hat with a downward look to the ground.

"Hold it!" Zoro interjected, his left arm and sword blocking Jango from further progression. "You're not getting through me!"

"Buchi!" Jango barked as Buchie roared to relevancy once more.

" **Cat-a-pult…!** " Buchi bellowed as he leaped into the air once more.

"That move again?!" Zoro growled as he looked at Buchi's apex.

" **CAT-TASTROPHE!** " Buchi slammed his foot into the ground, shattering the solid rock in about a 4-foot radius around him and making it fly upward. Zoro had thankfully rolled out of the way, but the rubble was still flying by his head.

"WHOA!" Usopp yelped as he jumped back out of reflex.

"The ground cracked!" The Veggie Trio yelped in observation.

"Damn, and it's stronger than ever…" Zoro cursed as the vector of Buchi's stomp shattered the opposite cliffside to the one that had been destroyed before.

"Idiot… he can't control his own strength," Kuro chided with a click of his tongue.

"Yeah, strength is fine and all, but without control, it's just not as effective," Randy agreed.

Buchi wound back, swinging his claws at Zoro with all the augmented strength he could muster, slamming Zoro into the cliffside. But his claws didn't reach, with Zoro using his blade to hold back the claws, and his foot to hold back Buchi's face.

"You lost to me before," Zoro quipped with a grin. "Don't… get in my way!" Zoro kicked Buchi off him as Jango made his way up the cliff.

"Now now, you still have me to get through, hypnotist," Randy chided, stepping towards Jango.

"I think you're occupied, Straw Hat," Kuro hissed as he locked eyes with Randy.

"USOPP PIRATES!" Usopp bellowed as he struggled to stand.

"Y-Yes Captain!" the Veggie Trio responded.

"We won't run from this!" Carrot repeated.

"Captain, you're badly injured!" Pepper stated. "We can't leave you like this!"

"We'll fight with you, Captain!" Onion declared.

"Protect Kaya!" Usopp ordered, much to the surprise of the Veggie Trio and Kaya. "I'm giving you the most important task! Get Kaya away from here, now! This is a Captain's Order! You can't refuse it!"

"Yes… Yes Captain!" The Veggie Trio agreed.

"Idiots, you can't escape!" Jango taunted as he spun two of his chakrams on his fingers.

"He's putting it nicely, but he's just telling them to run away," Zoro muttered under his breath with a smile.

"Kaya-san, run!" Carrot said as the trio led Kaya towards the woods.

"We'll go for the forest!" Onion reasoned. "We know that really well!"

"And just where are you running?" Jango asked as he prepared to throw his chakrams.

" **HISSATSU: LEAD STAR!** " Usopp called as he shot another pellet into Jango's back, knocking him down and sending his chakrams into the dirt. "Serves you right!"

"Why you little!" Jango ground out through clenched teeth.

"JANGO!" Kuro scolded. "After them, before they get away!"

"R-Right!" Jango said as he followed Kaya and the Veggie Trio into the woods.

"It's useless, with how weak Kaya's constitution is…" Kuro said, his face darkening once more. "They'll never be able to run from Jango. If you want to help them, go right ahead. That is… if you can get past this slope alive!"

"Dammit… this is bad…" Usopp groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Leave this to us!" Zoro and Randy declared as they stared down their opponents. However, a few moments later, we heard the sonorous thud of trees falling.

"What was that?" Usopp asked, looking to the forest.

"Sounds like Jango's losing his temper," Kuro calmly stated. "You can see for yourselves, but it'll be too late."

"Then we'll have to hurry," Zoro commented.

"Oh? Can you?" Kuro mockingly asked as Usopp grasped at the dirt under him.

"Damn you! You lived with her for three years!" Usopp spat. "Don't you have any kind of feelings for her?!"

"No. Kaya is just another pawn in my plan," Kuro droned. "Once she dies, I might actually thank her."

"This ass is beyond saving," Zoro commented.

"I wasn't thinking of saving him," Randy commented. "I was thinking of grinding his face into the ground."

"Dammit, I can't let him do what he wants!" Usopp hissed as he started up the cliff.

"I'm surprised you can still move," Kuro threw out. "Buchi." Buchi roared as he lunged at Usopp, only for Zoro to swing his sword around his neck.

"Don't get in the way," Zoro calmly said as he rolled Buchi to the ground and straddled his torso, sliding his blades against his neck. "We're in a hurry. You've messed around enough! I won't kill you if you lie down quietly!" Usopp's legs gave out again and he hit the ground with a thud.

"Dammit! I can't move!" Usopp grumbled.

"Hahahahahah! You're a joke!" Kuro laughed at Usopp's exhaustion. "You're probably safer down there anyway. Even if you caught up with Jango, you're in no state to fight him."

"I don't care! Even if he outclasses me… I have to protect them!" Usopp blubbered through his tears. Buchi took advantage of Zoro's distraction at Usopp's resolve to swipe at him again, pushing Zoro off and throwing him against the wall. "I'm Captain of the Usopp Pirates… I'm a brave warrior of the seas! I won't let you hurt them!"

"Haha! Look at him, shouting out that shit in that embarrassing pose!" the Black Cats mocked Usopp in his prone state. "So pathetic! Gyahahahaha!" Their laughter was cut short by a boulder being thrown at them again.

"SHUT YOUR DAMN TRAPS!" Randy roared as he glared at them. "OR THE NEXT ONE GOES FOR YOUR HEADS!"

"YES SIR!" the Black Cats whined as they retreated and promptly shut up. Buchi roared as he swiped at Zoro again, forcing the swordsman to parry with an X-formation.

"Hey… Buchi-cat… I thought I warned you…" Zoro growled through his sword-clenching teeth. "To stay outta my way!" He quickly swung his blades, knocking Buchi's arms wide open and cutting the fat cat down once more. The Black Cats were left astonished as Kuro adjusted his broken glasses again. "Randy, I'm gonna take Usopp and go deal with the hypnotist." Zoro picked up Usopp as Randy flashed a grin. "Any problem with that, Captain?"

"Nah, go for it," Randy acquiesced. "I'll keep Pussyfoot here busy."

"Sorry guys," Usopp apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Zoro cut in as he jogged up next to his Captain and Kuro. "I'd be faster on my own, but you know the area better than I do."

"I didn't say you could pass by me," Kuro venomously spat out as he dusted his hands.

"Yeah, but I did," Randy countered, flashing in front of Kuro and forcing him to dodge a slower punch. "Get going you two!"

"Right!" Zoro said, running off as Randy kicked off the ground, throwing his momentum into a roundhouse. Kuro flashed out of sight, leaving Randy to look around the area.

-X-

"It's one thing knowing he's fast, it's an entirely different thing seeing it up close," I idled in thought. "If I were him…" The slight clacking of metal from behind tipped me off. "Behind me!" I dropped onto my hands, barely sliding under Kuro's swing. " **Hard Air…** " I brought my legs back like I was going to stomp at Kuro's face, then snapped them forward. " **HOPPER KICK!** " The burst of air made from my legs shot through the air, missing Kuro as he vanished once more to appear at the top of the slope.

"Before we continue this, my curiosity has been piqued," Kuro revealed as I kicked up to my feet.

"Curiosity killed the cat, but fire away," I commented, noting Kuro's eye twitching.

"You have nothing to do with this village, so why defend it?" Kuro inquired, despite his annoyance at my cat jokes.

"Well, aside from a hero complex…" I said, grinning like a Cheshire cat, "I have a friend here that I won't let you kill.

"Such a simple reason… I honestly expected something more complex from you," Kuro said, his own grin becoming cat-like. "But I guess you're okay dying for a simple thing like that."

"I am, but today is not a good day to die!" I countered, assuming my fighting stance once more as Kuro splayed his arms and fingers out. We charged each other, but I quickly rolled onto my hands and sprung into a flying screw kick. " **Hard Air Drill!** "

"Predictable," Kuro mocked as he sidestepped the move and swung his Cat Claw up to slash down on me.

" **Geppou!** " I bellowed, kicking off the air ahead of me and shooting just out of Kuro's reach. I flipped over to land feet-first and we both locked eyes, taking a breath.

" **Hard Air Whip!** " I whipped my leg around, sending a wave of air at Kuro. Kuro hopped into the air to dodge as I'd hoped, and I wound back a punch. " **Hard Air Pistol!** " My punch shot out, but Kuro's feet hit the ground barely soon enough to move away. His sidestep caused the punch's shockwave to graze his cheek, sending him a bit off balance.

"So… there's more to you than just speed," Kuro growled as he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. "You seem to control the air… but that's not your power."

"Perceptive, aren't we?" I mocked joyfully. "You're right at least, that's part of my repertoire."

"Then I'll have to quit playing around," Kuro hissed as he flickered and reappeared floating in front of me. His leg snapped out, cracking into my face and sending my head spinning.

"You piece of…!" I growled as I snapped my arm out, grabbing his leg. With a quick shift of my waist, I threw Kuro the ground, slamming his shoulder into the rock. I rubbed my jaw as Kuro stood up again, rolling his shoulder to loosen it again.

"Come on Captain Kuro, you can beat this kid!" one of the Black Cats cheered, the others quickly joining in to root for their former Captain.

"STOP USING THAT NAME!" Kuro bellowed, shutting up his crew again. "You still don't understand?" I wiped my brow, focusing on him. "The entire purpose of this plan… is to erase the name of Captain Kuro from existence! I'm sick and tired of making plans for you reckless fools… With each raid, my name gained more infamy, and the Marines were hounding my every step. It irked me so much… that I decided to die that day three years ago…"

"I think I heard about that somewhere," I fibbed. "The infamous Captain Kuro went on a rampage on a Marine ship, killing all but one man, who managed to subdue him."

"Yes, that's what the world believes," Kuro continued. "But in truth, I slaughtered them all, and had Jango hypnotize our Shipwright to believe he was me, and that fool who survived to believe he survived and defeated me."

"Funny, I actually met that asshole a little while ago," I hissed. "He got promoted to Captain and went power mad over the town he was protecting. I kicked his ass though, and he was arrested."

"Oh? Well, isn't that an ironic turn of events?" Kuro chuckled. "Even for all I gave him, he still can't defeat a single pirate to save his life. But what happened that day was all for my plan, which will only be complete once I have the fortune and the peace of anonymity." He glared daggers at me. "I won't let a snot-nosed brat like you ruin my three-year-long plan!"

Kuro shot off like a bullet, intent on skewering me on his blades. I decided to emulate Luffy and Rob Lucci a bit, and stabbed my fingers into a loose boulder at my feet. I had to grab the rest with my other hand, but I could throw up my impromptu shield, catching Kuro's right Cat Claw into the stone.

"Such strength…" Kuro spat venomously as he tried to pull away. "To pierce stone and grasp a boulder with just your fingers…"

"Like I said, I've been training for my entire life, Kuro!" I barked, snapping the blades on his right glove with a quick twist to the side. "So I can head to the Grand Line with my crew…" My momentum carried me around for a heavy hit with the boulder, slamming Kuro into the cliffside. "And become the King of the Pirates!" Kuro managed to brace with his legs, blood dripping from his mouth as he leaned against the cliffside. "You said you were tired of your infamy? If you can't handle the pressure, then why did you become a pirate in the first place?!" Kuro pushed off the wall, his eyes locked on the ground. "Your plans are nothing compared to my dreams! And with half your claws gone, that's less I have to worry about."

"E-even with five claws, Captain Kuro can still kill you, kid!" one of the Black Cats spoke up.

"Hey, don't call him that!" another scolded. "He'll kill us if you do!"

"What did that girl call him, Klaha-something?" a third asked.

"Then we'll call him that! Kill that kid, Mr. Klaha!" a fourth said.

"Shut up… all of you…" Kuro rumbled. "After this… you're all going to die, including Jango!"

"Wh-what? Why kill us?!" the Black Cats objected.

"You guys don't get it," I interjected. "He wants to erase the name of 'Captain Kuro' from existence. That would include anyone who knows he's still alive, including you."

The Black Cats froze as Kuro locked his gaze on me once more. "You're quite perceptive yourself, brat," Kuro spat out. "But you're right, everyone here will die. My former crew, Jango, Kaya, and especially you and your friends."

"Okay… now you've cemented your defeat," I growled. "No one, not even GOD HIMSELF is allow to hurt my friends."

"Hahah, your crew is your weak point then?" Kuro laughed. "A crew is just a random collection of misfit outlaws… Fools who can't act without their Captain's direction! So you all should just shut up and die like I order you to!" I noticed the Black Cats looked entirely crestfallen, as if they'd just lost all their money at a casino. "If life is a game, we're playing chess… and you're all my pawns! Even if I order you to run face-first into a Rook's castle, or sacrifice yourselves to a Knight, you'll do it! All so the game can be won! That is the reality of a pirate's life!"

"So all you see them as pawns then?" I asked. "If that's the case, you'll always lose to Usopp in this game of piracy."

"Me? Lose to that hopeless liar?" Kuro roared in laughter. "He can't even play the pirate game for pretend, let alone handle the real thing! You're just cocky because you taken off half my Cat Claws! Now tell me…" Kuro vanished, but I could still hear his voice. "Just how can I be inferior to Usopp?"

"Because he'll see the game through!" I said, swinging my arm out wide. Kuro's throat slammed into my forearm, causing him to flip once and hit the ground flat on his back, coughing and choking from the hit. "Your resolve is the difference. You see you might lose the game, and you want to quit or flip the table…" I glared at Kuro who managed to massage his throat with the broken Cat Claw's glove. "But Usopp will continue to play, even if there's no chance of victory!"

"N-No way… that kid caught Captain Kuro during his Pussyfoot Maneuver…" the Black Cats gaped at my feat.

"No chance of victory…" Kuro coughed as he massaged his bleeding temple. "You have yet to see what that looks like… I'll be glad to show you!" He stood up, hunching his back and letting his arms drape at his sides. "I'll show you the terror of a hopeless battle and the inevitable death!"

"N-No, Captain! Don't use that move!" the Black Cats begged as Kuro swayed back and forth. "Don't use the Out-Of-The-Bag Attack! He's gonna kill us!"

" **Out-Of-The-Bag Attack!** " Kuro roared as he vanished, leaving behind some purple smoke clouds.

-X-

Nami had finished cleaning up the spoils of the Black Cats' ship, and was hauling her loot out when she heard the screams go silent.

"What the…? Is the fight over?" she asked, walking to the ship's bow and leaning over. "Why's everyone just standing around? What happened to…?"

Her eyes shot open as she saw one of the Black Cats's torso shredded by five long claw-like marks.

"No…" Randy said. "No… where is he!?"

"Where's… is Kuro doing this?" Nami asked herself as another Black Cat was cut down. Randy flinched as the rocks nearby were carved up, then another Black Cat's leg was swiped.

"Captain Kuro, please stop!" one of the Black Cats begged as Randy's arm was scratched.

"It's no use!" another bemoaned as another Black Cat was cut down. "He can't tell friend from foe using the Out-Of-The-Bag Attack!" Nami's eyes widened, and she noted Randy's did too. "He'll keep attacking at random until he's tired!"

"Kuro… he's just going to massacre them all…" Nami gasped in terror, grasping the treasure bag tightly like a security blanket. Randy's eyes were darting around, trying to catch Kuro as his leg was cut deep.

"No…" Randy growled as his eyes focused on the Black Cats, who were being slowly shredded to bits. " **SORU!** " Randy vanished much like Kuro did, and Nami and the Black Cats gaped as Kuro and Randy reappeared, Kuro's body driven into the ground by another throw from Randy. "You bastard… to do this to your own crew… JUST WHAT DO YOU TAKE THEM FOR?!"

"Randy…" Nami whispered with a breath, astounded yet again at Randy's morality.

"How can you be so callous?" Randy continued as Kuro scowled at the straw hat-clad youth. "To use such a move with so little regard for life… especially with your own crew in the crossfire!"

"You said it yourself, brat," Kuro said as he rolled to a sitting position. "I never intended to let any of the Black Cat Pirates live to see the next day. Their lives are nothing to me, they're all sacrifices to my plan!" He chuckled darkly as he stood up and glared at Randy. "And because of you, my poor crew is still alive, yowling in pain. It'd be more merciful to kill them now, instead of letting them live."

"You know, you're just reinforcing my resolve," Randy countered, Kuro looking a bit curious. "I will NEVER become a pirate like you!"

"You know, for once, we can agree," Kuro chortled as he started swaying side to side again. "You'll never be a pirate like me… because I won't give you the chance! You'll die here!" Kuro's eyes shot open as he realized he was now looking down at Randy below him. A foot rocketed skyward, nailing a hit to his jaw and sending Kuro into the air.

"Your Out-Of-The-Bag Attack has two flaws," Randy chided in his rolling momentum. "It's the indiscriminate damage and the set-up time! And unlike me, you can't move in mid-air!"

"What?!" Kuro bellowed as Randy squatted down to the ground.

" **Swallow Wing!** " Randy shot into the air, vanishing intermittently as he moved in a zig-zag pattern, appearing above Kuro like a shadow, his head facing the ground. "Your plan ends here, Kuro!" Randy quickly grabbed Kuro's legs, yanking them up and forcing Kuro's neck and shoulders to rest on his own. "I hope you like wrestling!" Randy kicked off the air, righting himself and leaving Kuro's head to face the ground.

"No, let go you brat!" Kuro roared as he struggled to try to reach him with his arms. "My plan won't fail! My plans never fail!" Randy grinned as he and Kuro started to descend to Earth.

"First time for everything! **Combo Move: Tekkai and…** " Randy's legs leaned forward so it looked like he was going to sit down as the duo sailed to the ground.

"My plan…!" Kuro roared as the duo hit the ground, Randy landing butt-first and smashing a deeper crater into the already cracked ground.

" **KINNIKU BUSTER!** " Randy roared as the entire shock of the landing passed through his steel-hard body and traveled into Kuro's neck, spine, and groin with a sickening crack. Kuro's body went limp and Randy rolled around, throwing Kuro a bit away. "And that's that…"

"Whoa… he… he did it!" the Black Cats cheered. "That Straw-Hat kid beat Captain Kuro! We're saved!"

"SHUT UP!" Randy roared at them, making them all shy back a third time. "I don't need you jackasses cheering for me!"

Nami decided to leap down from the ship as Randy grabbed Kuro by his jacket, ignoring the broken glasses that fell off his face during the drop-attack. "Get this asshole outta here, and I never want to see you guys again!"

"Who… Who are you?!" one of the Black Cats spoke up as they picked up Kuro.

"I am Monkey D. Randy, and I am the man who will become the next King of the Pirates!" Randy roared. "Now GIT!"

"Y-Yessir!" the Black Cats agreed as they scrambled back into their ship with their defeated crewmates and Captain, sailing off as fast as humanly possible. Randy's leg gave out and he started to fall, only for Nami to catch him, still holding her stolen treasure in her other hand.

"I'm not surprised you're falling," Nami scolded. "After all that running with a bleeding leg? I'm surprised you didn't give out sooner." She gently laid Randy down so he could rest.

"Adrenaline is a hell of a drug, Nami," Randy laughed. "But… can you promise me something?"

"What is it?" Nami asked, sitting down beside Randy.

"If I ever become that kind of an asshole… I want you to hit me as hard as you can in the nuts," Randy said, leaning over to look at Nami. "Can you promise me that?"

Nami couldn't help but smile a bit. "Of course, dummy," she said, giving him a light nudge. "But I don't think I'll have to keep that promise."

"What makes you say that?" Randy asked with a heavy drop of sarcasm. Not five minutes later, Zoro returned with Usopp, who was able to walk again after some rest.

"So, looks like you had fun," Zoro joked as he laid against the cliffside, resting himself.

"Something like that," Randy chuckled. "Glad to see things worked out, Usopp."

"I can't thank you guys enough," Usopp returned. "Without you guys, I'd probably be dead, and the village would be a ruin."

"Don't sell yourself short," Zoro chided. "We wouldn't have stepped in if you weren't willing to step up."

"Yeah, you're braver than you think, Usopp," Randy agreed.

"I couldn't care less, but I got their treasure, so I'm happy," Nami purred as she cuddled the bag of treasure she stole.

"Considering all this, I've come to a decision," Usopp said, garnering all our attention. "I'm going to set sail, and become a Pirate for real!"

"That'll mean disbanding your crew, right?" Randy clarified.

"Yeah, but it's for the best," Usopp admitted. "They've got their lives ahead of them, and their own dreams. If I stick around, they'll just end up like me."

"Is that really a bad thing?" Nami teased, getting a laugh out of all of us.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Phew! Another arc-ending fight over with!**_

 **Randy: Easy for you to say, you weren't the one getting shredded.**

 _ **A/N: You'll live you big baby. Onto the reviews!**_

 _ **To gamelover41952:**_

 **Randy: Thanks. It took a lot of work to get where I am now. And I can't stop climbing.**

 _ **To JayH120:**_

 _ **A/N: Sorry I couldn't debut a bit more of Randy's Devil Fruit, you'll have to wait a bit longer.**_

 **Luffy: My favorite video game? Shishishi, I love playing Mega Man! He's so cool!**

 **Randy: And he sucks at Fire Emblem games.**

 **Luffy: I do not! I just don't get the fighting!**

 _ **To tanithlipsky:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks for the encouragement!**_

 _ **To bennyf5302:**_

 _ **A/N: I think a yelling contest is a bad idea. Besides, they're yelling in Randy's head. No one else is gonna hear it.**_

 **Randy: I'm not gonna eat Chopper! He's an adorable ball of awesome!**

 **Luffy: Adorable?**

 **Randy: ...I like animals, alright?**

 _ **A/N: Anyway, that's it for now! Please rate, review, and follow if you haven't already! Next time on One Piece: Broken Locks, we wrap up Syrup Village and set sail for the Baratie!**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Whoo! New Chapter time!**_

 **Randy: What're you so excited about?**

 _ **A/N: I've got something in the works that really got my brain pulsing for this story.**_

 **Luffy: Doesn't that hurt?**

 **Randy: Only for you.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or its characters, only the new characters I create for this fanfiction and any additional character exploration.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 15: A Familiar New Ship, Goodbyes, and Hellos**_

* * *

The Straw-Hat Pirates had patched themselves up after their battle with the Black Cat Pirates, and were having breakfast at the Meshi Restaurant where they spoke with Usopp before. Nami was watching Randy crunch into the fish bones of his meal as Zoro laid back, looking almost ready to nod off.

"Well, now that the little 'morning exercise' is over, we can get back to the business at hand," Randy said, getting as much meat as he could off the fish he was picking clean.

"Namely getting a ship big enough to sail into the Grand Line," Zoro continued.

"Well, do you think Kaya or someone can give us directions to a shipyard then?" Nami asked. Before Zoro or Randy could answer her, the restaurant door opened.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Randy joked as Kaya walked over to the table. "You're looking well, Miss Kaya."

"Thank you, I am feeling much better," Kaya replied.

"So you don't need to stay cooped up in your bedroom anymore?" Nami asked.

"No, I don't," Kaya answered, smiling fondly as she reflected on the past year. "I've felt ill this past year, ever since my parents died. But Usopp was there to encourage me, and I came to realize… it was all in my head. It was my own sadness that weakened me so."

"Well, stress does weaken the immune system, and depression weakens the spirit quite a lot," Randy replied, drawing Nami and Zoro's intrigued gazes as he looked down at his bone-filled plate. "Losing loved ones can be a painful thing, but that cloud of grief weighed heavy on you." He looked back up and couldn't help but smile a bit as he looked at Kaya's sunny disposition. "I'm glad Usopp was there to keep your spirits up. He must have been a great help."

"Speaking of help, I recall from yesterday that you need a ship, correct?" Kaya asked.

"Yeah, we do," Randy agreed with a rising hope in his voice. "Did you happen to have one you can spare?"

"Just follow me," Kaya said, leaving the restaurant. Randy quickly paid for the food and walked after her.

"Is it just me, or did Randy speak a bit too descriptively about depression?" Nami asked quietly to Zoro.

He nodded, grunting in agreement. "That seemed a bit too specific," the swordsman analyzed. "We might have to keep an eye on our Captain."

"You guys coming?" Randy asked, leaning back inside the restaurant.

"Yeah, keep your shorts on," Zoro jokingly chided as the duo rejoined Randy.

-X-

We were brought to a ship I recognized all too well, but it just felt so much bigger in person. Merry was standing right in front of the ship with a slightly cartoonish ram's head for a figurehead.

"Hey… not bad," Zoro grinned.

"Wow, a real caravel!" Nami gasped, clapping her hands together.

"She looks amazing," I said, trying to take the moment in, and reflecting on things to come.

"I've been waiting for you to come," Merry explained. "She's in a slightly older style, but I designed her myself. A caravel with a staysail… the controls are in the rear… this is the 'Going Merry'!"

"The Going Merry…" I echoed, taking a step closer to our home for the foreseeable future.

"So you are the ones who helped Usopp deal with the Black Cat Pirates," Merry observed. "I honestly thought your group would be a bit bigger…"

"I prefer quality over quantity," I explained to Merry before turning to Kaya. "Are you sure we can have this? I'd feel better if we could repay you somehow."

"No, you've saved this island," Kaya cut in as Nami was halfway to storming over to me for mentioning spending. "Our lives are repayment enough." Merry cleared his throat as he walked over to me.

"Allow me to explain how to steer the Merry," he began. "First, to adjust the yards in relation to the garnet…"

"Er, sorry, it's all Greek to me," I sheepishly admitted, rubbing my head.

"And here I thought you were all-knowing and perfect," Nami half-jokingly scolded herself. "You better just explain things to me."

"I took the liberty of having everything you could need on your journey loaded beforehand," Kaya said, smiling wide at us.

"You didn't have to go through all that trouble," I said, bowing respectfully.

"Well, we're glad you did," Zoro added before tapping my shoulder. "We've got incoming."

"WAAAAHHH!" Usopp yelled as we saw him rolling down the slope, stuck fast to his overpacked boulder of a backpack. "Help! I can't stop!"

"Usopp!?" Kaya realized.

"We better stop him before he hits the Merry," I said, glancing over to Zoro.

"Right," Zoro said as we lifted one leg each up, catching the incoming Usopp face-first.

"Th… thanks guys…" Usopp groaned through our soles.

"No problem," we replied as we helped Usopp get unloaded from his backpack.

"Usopp, are… are you going to set sail?" Kaya asked a bit hesitantly.

"Yeah, and I'm going before I change my mind," Usopp resolved quickly. "Please, don't try to stop me."

"I won't, Usopp… I always had a feeling this might happen," Kaya said, looking down a bit. "It… makes me a bit sad though."

"Well then I'll just have to have some amazing stories for you when I come back!" Usopp laughed. "And they'll be wilder than any lie I could think up!"

"Thank you, I'll look forward to it," Kaya returned as she smiled at her closest friend.

"Well, have a safe trip guys!" Usopp said, turning to us and waving as he neared a smaller boat. "I hope we can meet up again sometime!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, leaning over the railing.

"What do you mean 'What are you talking about'?" Usopp echoed, looking a bit offended. "That's cold of you, Randy! We're both going to be pirates now, sailing on the high seas! It's only natural we might meet up again sometime later!"

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked, leaning on the railing as well. "Just get on board already."

"I…" Usopp stammered. "You mean…"

"Well, we _are_ Nakama after all, aren't we?" I asked, grinning wildly.

"F… FINALLY!" Usopp bellowed loud enough I could swear he woke up the entire village. "I can be a Pirate Captain!"

"Over my dead body!" I snapped, leaping down to help Usopp load up his things. "If you want to be the Captain of my crew, you'll have to fight me for it!"

"I… don't think I want to fight you… er, today that is!" Usopp quickly rescinded on my offer. "Yeah, I mean… it's just day one, there'll be plenty of time to challenge you for leadership!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Usopp," I laughed, hefting his bag up with one arm. "Man, this feels so light now."

"Eh? But I packed my entire house into that thing!" Usopp yelped. "How is that light!"

"That's not what I'm talking about," I said, walking up a gangplank Zoro lowered for us.

"Then what are you talking about?" Usopp asked as he followed me up.

"What the hell is all this stuff?!" Nami shrieked as she saw the loads of metal ingots and bars, tools, and heavy-looking equipment on the ship. "Where did this all come from?!"

"Oh, that's my blacksmithing tools and materials," I calmly replied as I set Usopp's pack down. "And some training gear, like barbells, weights, and the like."

"Where the hell did you keep all this?!" Nami demanded as Zoro walked over to pick up one of the weights.

"You've got some good stuff here," Zoro said, giving his bicep a few tentative curls while gripping one of the weights. "Nice and dense, no wonder you're a monster."

"You're a blacksmith too?" Usopp asked in astonishment. "Wow, a fighter and a crafter!"

"That's not the point here!" Nami snapped at Zoro. "Where did you keep all this stuff!?"

"I've been carrying it all ever since I left Foosha Village," I said plainly. Nami walked right up to me, with a dark, irritated look in her eyes.

"Say. That. Again?" she punctuated venomously.

"I… I've been carrying it all…" I swallowed hard as Nami glared at me harder than I ever thought she could. "Ever since… I left… Foosha Village… my hometown by the way…"

There was an awkward silence before she sighed heavily. "You know what, I give up! At this rate, if I keep questioning your abnormality, I'm going to lose my mind trying to figure it all out!" she objected to the heavens. "You're not even lying about that!"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about that," Usopp said as I walked over to draw up the anchor. "Right now, we're setting off on the journey of a lifetime! We need to celebrate!"

"Now you're talkin'," Zoro chuckled as he brought out four mugs and a barrel of something from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Nami huffed, smiling as she took a full mug from Zoro, who took to sitting on the barrel. "Let's celebrate!"

"Yeah, to a new ship, and a new crewmate!" I declared, thrusting my mug to the sky.

"KANPAI!" we cheered as we all lifted our mugs in a toast. I knocked back a bit of the drink and coughed.

"Zoro, what the heck did you choose?!" I asked, feeling the alcohol burn in my throat.

"It's just a light beer," Zoro revealed, laughing a bit. "What, never drank before?"

"Well, no, but…" I answered.

"Looks like our Captain's a lightweight!" Nami giggled softly as she knocked back her drink easily.

"Hey! So I've never had alcohol before, big deal!" I snapped.

"Well, you're a pirate, so you'll have to learn to drink like one!" Zoro teased me as I flushed a bit in embarrassment.

"Hah, alcohol like this is no problem for me!" Usopp boasted. "I've been drinking for ten years!"

"What, since you were like seven?" I cuttingly interrogated.

"How'd you know I was seventeen?!" Usopp yelped in shock.

"A lucky guess!" I laughed. I'd honestly forgotten how old Usopp was at the start of the journey. As we partied, I drank much more slowly, giving myself time to adjust and ponder the next leg of our journey.

-X-

It was a day or so later from our departure from the Gecko Islands and Syrup Village as I doodled away on a notepad. Nami was reading the newspaper, Usopp was adjusting his own belongings still, and Zoro was already using my weights to train eagerly. "Alright, I think I'm done!" I said, flipping the notepad around. Nami, Usopp, and Zoro looked at my drawing, which was a slightly more detailed version of the Straw Hat Jolly Roger. The cartoonish look was still there, I loved that, but I added the triangular scar on my cheek to the skull, and a kunai in its mouth in addition to the crossed bones behind the head.

"It looks a little childish, doesn't it?" Usopp asked.

"Well, the knife and scar make it look a bit scarier," Nami said, nodding her head and rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Jolly Rogers are supposed to be scary, right?" Zoro added.

"I'm not here to scare people, I just wanted it to look good," I retorted. "But I could use some help getting it down on the flag."

"Leave it to me!" Usopp declared as he whipped out the paint we had in storage and a brush. He grabbed a black flag and quickly drew down a Jolly Roger. He held up his work, which strongly resembled his own face, grinning with a single bone and his slingshot behind it. "Done!"

"You drew the wrong one!" Zoro and I chided him as we gave him a quick rap on the head. We quickly corrected the mistake, with Usopp doing the lines and myself giving him a hand filling it in.

"That's perfect!" Nami said as she smiled at our collaboration.

"We'll have to get one on the sail as well," I said. "That way this will feel more like a real pirate ship!"

"You did pretty good, Usopp," Zoro applauded.

"Thanks, I have been practicing for years now by drawing graffiti on people's houses!" Usopp bragged. "I'm something of a renowned artist!" We quickly painted another Jolly Roger Flag and Usopp and I did some rope-rigging with Nami's supervision and Zoro's assistance. We quickly painted the Jolly Roger on the sail as well, and I finished things off by putting the Jolly Roger Flag on the main and rear masts.

"And with that, the Going Merry is officially a pirate ship!" I cheered as I landed back on the deck. Due to the quick speed I chose to handle things, Nami and Usopp were exhausted, and Zoro was even panting a bit as he leaned against the mast to take a nap. We'd all been covered in some of the paint from our hasted work. _"Well… this is kinda gonna be a dick move… but without coming here, Yosaku's gonna die from scurvy… Well, no choice then."_ I walked over to the starboard cannon and, after checking to make sure it was loaded, aimed it for the nearest rock I saw and fired at it, making the others jump.

"What the hell was that for, Randy?" Zoro asked. "Can't you let us take a nap in peace?"

"Sorry, I figured now would be a good a time as ever to practice with the cannon," I said, pointing out to the rock where I hoped Johnny and Yosaku were. "That rock spire makes a good target."

"Stand aside, my amateur friend!" Usopp boasted, standing up and walking over. "I could hit that rock from ten miles away!"

"Well, thankfully it's less than that," I laughed, pointing at the rock. "Let's see you hit it then."

"Alright, let's see here…" Usopp said as I helped reload the cannon. "Judging from our distance and your first shot…" He altered the angle of the cannon just a few degrees and pushed it forward a bit, and grabbed the matches. "This ought to do it." He lit the fuse and the cannon fired off in a perfect arc, smashing the rock to rubble.

"Nice shot! And I'd bet that was the first time you've even used a cannon!" I applauded.

"It was… I mean, it's only natural!" Usopp bragged. "I'm an expert with any ranged weapon! You can feel free to grovel and hand over your Captain's position."

"Honestly, I think you'd be a better Sniper than a Captain, since I'm still holding you to that 'fight me for the job' deal," I said, smiling.

"I… guess that's a fair deal," Usopp said as we went inside the kitchen to relax for a bit. "But if you ever feel like being the Captain's weighing too heavily on you, I'll consider taking that weight off your shoulders."

"Still, with all we've got, there's two positions we need to fill on the crew before too long," I said, making the peace sign. "And one is absolutely crucial before we enter the Grand Line."

"That's right, we do have this fantastic kitchen after all," Nami said, her eyes roving around the somewhat simple (for a house) kitchen. The stove area was lined with bricks for safety reasons. "Of course, I could cook for you guys, for a price."

"Nah, I think I'd rather keep our wallets tight," I cut in. "But a Cook is going to be necessary if we're going to continue on."

"Yeah, a Cook is indispensable for long journeys on the ocean," Zoro agreed. "Especially with how you eat, Captain."

"Hey, I've been tempering my appetite for years to not eat us out of house and home on the sea!" I defended hastily, earning a laugh out of the group. "The other position I want… is a Musician."

"A Musician?" my friends all inquired in unison.

"Well, yeah," I said, spreading my arms wide. "On long journeys, we need to keep entertained, and a Musician would help with that! Besides, I have fond memories of listening to the sea shanties Shanks's crew would sing during the parties!"

"COME OUT YOU DAMN PIRATES!" a voice roared, breaking us out of our conversation. "I'LL SLAUGHTER ALL OF YOU!"

Usopp almost dropped his tea from practically leaping out of his chair, and I sighed, sitting up from my seat. "I'll go see what's the matter," I resigned as I opened the door. "Alright, who wants to start something?"

"You don't know who I am?" Johnny said as he brandished his butcher's knife-like sword. "Honestly… that's my line!" I leaped down to the deck as he tried to slash the railing.

" **Tekken** ," I muttered, holding up a single finger to block the incoming slash.

"Wh-What the hell?!" Johnny yelled in confusion. "I put all my strength in that swing! You can't just block it with a finger!"

"Can, did, and will continue to do if you try to wreck my ship," I scolded. "Calm down and stop raging or I'll be throwing you for a loop."

"Shut up, you damn pirate!" Johnny snapped. "I've killed countless men like you, and you have the _gall_ to insult me like this?!" He swung again, only to be blocked by two fingers this time. "After you killed my partner?!"

"Believe me, if you ever fought someone like me, they'd be the ones who'd have killed you," I chided as Johnny wound up for a two-handed slash this time. "Watch the birdie…" I hovered my fist up to meet his gaze. " **Hard Air Pistol!** " Johnny barely had the time to flinch as my punch's shockwave connected with his torso, sending him into the nearest wall and loosening his grip on his sword. "Aw, you missed the birdie."

"D-Dammit…" Johnny gasped as his blade clattered to the deck. "I… almost had him…"

"Alright tough guy, now that you've got that berserker rage out, what did you mean by your partner?" I interrogated as I sat down beside Johnny.

"You… you're not gonna kill me?" Johnny asked in confusion.

"Wait… Johnny?" Zoro asked, walking out to lean over the rail and look down at his acquaintance. "Is that you?"

"Z-Zoro! What are you doing here?!" Johnny demanded as he sprung back to his feet.

"Where's Yosaku?" Zoro continued. "He's usually with you, isn't he?"

"W-Well… about that…" Johnny said as I sighed.

-X-

"If you had started with that, you could have saved us both a lot of trouble," Randy said as Johnny brought his sick friend aboard and explained what was going on. "So he's sick."

"That's right, Yosaku's been sick for a day or two now," Johnny revealed. "He was fine, and then the next thing I knew, he turned pale and kept passing out! I didn't know what to do…" Johnny watched over Yosaku as he laid on the deck, bleeding out and missing some teeth. "His teeth started falling out, and his old wounds opened up again!" Johnny held his head, holding back tears. "I just don't know what to do for him. I thought I could give him some rest on that rock nearby, but suddenly, this ship fired a cannonball at us!"

Usopp face-faulted and quickly bowed to the bounty hunter-duo as Randy vanished back inside the kitchen. "I'm so sorry," Usopp apologized, realizing what he'd done.

"It's fine… what's done is done…" Johnny sniffled. "If all problems were solved with apologies, we wouldn't need policemen…" The sharp words cut deep into Usopp's heart, bringing the newly appointed Sniper to tears. "The two of us… the mere mention of our names got pirates shaking in their boots… We've been like brothers for years… living together as bounty hunters… is this how it's gonna end?"

"God, how thick are you?!" Nami snapped, gaining a slightly murderous glare from Zoro and Johnny.

"What did you just say?" Zoro seethed out, his fist clenched.

"I won't let you make a mockery of my bro's pain!" Johnny snapped as Randy came out of the kitchen holding a mug of what appeared to be lime juice.

"Oh relax, Yosaku, Johnny's just got scurvy," he cut in, leaning down to gently lift Yosaku's head so he could drink. "If we're not too late, he'll recover."

"At least someone here knows something about proper sailing," Nami sighed in exasperation. "Randy's right, if we've acted fast enough, Yosaku will live."

"You mean that Big Sis Nami?!" Johnny bellowed, his tears flowing as much as his voice was loud.

"Don't call me 'Sis'," Nami calmly said. "In the past, scurvy was practically a death sentence for sailors. It's caused by lack of nutrients in fruits and vegetables, particularly Vitamin C. It was so common in the past because we didn't have the technology to store large amounts of food for long periods of time."

"Which is why I suggested getting a Cook as soon as possible," I added in, raising a finger. "The Grand Line is massive, and we'll never be sure where or when the next island is going to show up. Having someone who knows the ins and outs of keeping our bodies well-fed and balanced nutritionally is an absolute necessity."

"Yes! I'm all charged up on vitamins and back to normal!" Yosaku said, springing up and dancing with Johnny.

"Yes, the duo is back and better than ever!" Johnny chimed in.

"Like hell he could recover that fast!" Nami hissed as the duo stood side-by-side, holding their jaws in mirrored poses.

"Sorry for the late introductions, but I'm Johnny," Johnny said, his jaw leaning on his fist.

"And I'm Yosaku, we used to be Bounty Hunters with Big Bro Zoro," Yosaku finished. "Nice to meet you all." He looked at us with a smile of gratitude. "I can't thank you enough. If it weren't for you all, I would be fish food."

"And to think, our Bounty Hunter Big Bro Zoro would become a Pirate himself!" Johnny laughed. However, Yosaku coughed up some blood and collapsed again. "Yosaku!"

"Would you get some rest already?!" Zoro snapped much like an older brother. Johnny took Yosaku into the men's quarters to get some rest after cleaning up the blood.

"Let this be a lesson to you two," Nami scolded Zoro and Usopp.

"This is the kind of dangers we'll face on this adventure," Zoro added. "So our Captain's right, we need a Cook."

"Yeah, someone to look out for us and know what we need to eat day in and day out…" Usopp agreed. "A sea-going Cook…"

"If you think about it, that's one of the most important things about a voyage on the sea," Nami finished.

"Then it's unanimous," Randy grinned. "We'll find ourselves the best damn Cook in the East Blue!"

"If I can suggest…" Johnny spoke up.

"What is it, Johnny?" Zoro asked, glancing over to his friend.

"If you're looking for a Cook, I know just the place," Johnny revealed to the group. "Of course, getting one of them to join you will be the tricky part."

"A restaurant on the sea?" Nami asked. "That sounds amazing!"

"That's right, it's about two to three days away from here," Johnny continued. "But it's close to the Grand Line, so some tough customers tend to be there." He walked towards Usopp and Randy and leaned in close to Zoro. "And I heard that 'Hawk-Eyed Man' you're looking for was seen there too, Big Bro." He walked up to Randy and Usopp, leaving Zoro shaking in anticipation. "If it's alright with you, I'll lead the way!"

"Go for it!" Usopp and Randy cheered. After shifting to the north, Randy looked out to the horizon as Johnny caught up with Zoro. _"Sanji… we're on our way to the Baratie. You'll get to find the All Blue. I swear it."_

* * *

 ** _Syrup Village Arc: Completed_**

* * *

 _ **A/N: And with that, we can move onto a much anticipated arc!**_

 **Randy: Everyone's been poking us about what's gonna happen, but first, reviews!**

 _ **To JJsanoguel98:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks! I really want to do some call-forwards to other characters and such, and I've got plenty of surprises in store!**_

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 **Randy: Thanks! I hope we do well too!**

 _ **To LadyPinkyOfJapan8181:**_

 _ **A/N: That is something I definitely have in store for Luffy and Randy to deal with later. How SOON I deal with that... that depends on Goda.**_

 _ **To sarahgri99:**_

 **Luffy: Happy Birthday! Hope you got your Birthday meat!**

 **Randy: ...cake is the norm for birthdays, Luffy.**

 _ **To Taiski:**_

 **Luffy: That's Randy's choice to make.**

 **Randy: He's right, I have the option to get additional crew members if I want, and hopefully I'll never be forced to take people on.**

 _ **A/N: ...riiiiiight. Anyway, I had to make a new move to replace the Gum-Gum Bell, and I figured, if I'm going for a grapple, I'm using one of the best wrestling moves I can think of!**_

 _ **To Guest:**_

 _ **A/N: You're just going to have to wait until NEXT CHAPTER! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! *ominous thunder***_

 **Randy: Aaaanyway, I'll get this outta the way now. I'll gladly teach anyone who wants to learn what I know, but I don't have an exact knowledge of Rokushiki. No teacher. As for Haki, just because I know about it, doesn't mean I can't use it.**

 _ **To Raidentensho:**_

 _ **A/N: Glad you got the reference for Ultimate Muscle! As for Hamon, that's a cool idea, but not quite what I'm going for.**_

 **Luffy: Ham on what? If you've got ham-melon, I want some!**

 **Randy: There's no food!**

 _ **A/N: Here, eat up. *tosses Luffy prosciutto-on-melon***_

 **Luffy: Thanks!**

 **Randy: What, nothing for me?**

 _ **To tanithlipsky:**_

 **Luffy: Fnk moo!**

 **Randy: He says "thank you".**

 _ **To bennyf5302:**_

 **Randy: ...not unless I am TRYING to be a distraction.**

 _ **To vmage2:**_

 _ **A/N: Actually, Tekken is a separate technique where Randy only hardens up his hands using Tekkai, letting him move them around to block without sacrificing his ability to dodge.**_

 **Randy: And it's a reference to a video game series. Look it up.  
**

 _ **A/N: Also, thanks for finding that grammatical error, I've fixed it.**_

 **Randy: That's it for now, so next time on One Piece: Broken Locks...**

 _ **A/N: We head for the Baratie and find a new crewmate waiting! Please rate, review, follow if you haven't, and we'll see you next time!**_

 **Luffy: And bring more Ham-Melon!**


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Alright, time to break into the Baratie Arc, and here's where things start to get wild.**_

 **Randy: Just keep reading. You'll see soon enough.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. I only claim the original characters I create for this fic and any additional characterization I deem to explore.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Ability or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Arc 3: Baratie Arc**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 16: Sanji of the Baratie**_

* * *

Nami yawned, stretching as she awoke from her slumber. It'd been two days since they'd rescued Johnny and Yosaku, and the duo had given them a path to find a Cook for the crew. With any luck, they'd find the restaurant Johnny spoke of and get themselves a new Crewmate. She'd gotten back into a routine with having a larger ship to relax on, and was waking up around her normal time. Nami had claimed the Captain's Room for herself, and she enjoyed having the space away from the guys. Randy had reluctantly agreed to let her have it, but he resolved to get his own room eventually. She was about to use the shower, when she heard a slightly heavy thud on deck.

"Who'd be up now aside from me?" she asked no one. It was about seven in the morning, and she saw Zoro getting up around this time, so maybe it was him. She poked her head outside of the trap door that led to the deck of the Merry, and her eyes took a moment to adjust to the lack of sunlight. "Randy? What're you doing up?" She was a bit surprised to find Randy, looking wide awake as he sat on the deck, facing towards the horizon.

"Oh, hey Nami," Randy replied as he turned to her, waving a bit. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I just decided to get a workout in." Nami's eyes darted to the spot beside him, noticing one of his barbells on the deck.

"That was probably what made the noise then," Nami reasoned. "Randy, if you're going to do that, at least try to keep it down. You would have woken me up if you dropped that, and it's a thousand Beri fine for waking me up in the middle of my sleep for no reason."

"Sorry, I was just trying to tire myself out," Randy chuckled. "Insomnia and boundless energy tends to be a bad combination." Nami's and Randy's eyes turned to the sun as it peeked over the horizon. As the morning came to light, so did something else that drew Nami's eyes: Randy's shirtless state. The sweat on his tanned torso glistened like dew in the morning sun, and Nami could swear she'd never seen someone who looked so well-balanced between muscle mass and tone.

"Wow…" Nami muttered aloud. Her eyes shot wide as she covered her mouth, looking at Randy's focus.

"Yeah, sunrise on the open sea," Randy mused, not even looking her way. "It's always a mystifying sight, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah, it's amazing," Nami said in relief from Randy's obliviousness.

"Morning," Zoro yawned as he came out from the boys' cabin area, already dressed for the day. "Couldn't sleep Randy?"

"Nope," Randy chuckled as Zoro tossed him a towel. "Enjoy your 3-hour nap?"

"Yeah, but if you're gonna keep training like this, I feel like I'm gonna fall behind," Zoro joked as he picked up the barbell Randy was using. "You mind if I borrow your equipment?"

"Nah, go right ahead," Randy said, wiping the sweat off his body. "I'll go get breakfast started, then I'll probably shower. You two good with scrambled eggs?"

"Fine with me," Zoro said as he looked at Nami. "You good?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Nami said. "But I'll need you to draw some water so I can shower first."

"Fine, fine," Randy sighed as he threw the towel over his shoulder. "One shower's worth of water, coming up."

-X-

Breakfast passed quickly, and the crew went about their routines. Usopp had taken to the crow's nest as today's lookout and was thinking about what he could make next as a trick or new ammo for his slingshot. Zoro was pumping iron, particularly by going through his sword motions with a long iron bar with several weights on the end of it. Randy had strapped himself to the mast by his legs, and had a few more of the weights dangling from his forearms as he crunched his abs over and over. Nami was lost in her own thoughts as she read the paper, though she was slightly distracted by Randy's curls.

"We're here at the restaurant!" Johnny roared, garnering the four's attention. "Brother Zoro! Brother Randy! Brother Usopp! Sister Nami!"

"I thought I told him to stop calling me 'Sister'," Nami groaned as I did a final curl to release the rope holding me to the mast.

"Well, could be worse," I joked as I kicked off the mast, backflipping once to land on the deck with a loud thud.

The Baratie was a sight to behold. Basically, the Baratie was a three-story building fused with a large Lugger Sailboat and a giant fish, the lime-green exterior and bright orange accents on the fish's lips and the fish tail-like rudder drawing a great deal of attention.

"Well, what do you think?" Yosaku asked.

"Wow!" Nami exclaimed.

"That's such a funky design!" Usopp declared.

"I don't think we'll ever see anything else like it!" I added. However, due to the focus on the Baratie, we didn't notice the Marine Ship that sailed right up next to us. "Aw crapbaskets…"

"T-The Marines!" Usopp yelped. "They're not gonna attack us now… are they?" Johnny and Yosaku ducked down under the sides, praying they wouldn't be arrested for being with pirates. Fullbody walked out, his right hand plated with metal over the back of his hand and screws in his knuckles.

"Hmm… never seen that Jolly Roger before…" Fullbody mused to himself. "Attention pirates, I am Lieutenant 'Iron Fist' Fullbody of Marine Headquarters. Who is your Captain?"

"That'd be me, Lieutenant," I said, standing up on the rail. "Monkey D. Randy, of the recently christened Straw Hat Pirates."

"'Recently christened'? Yeah, you just came up with that," Johnny snickered.

"And I'm Usopp," Usopp chimed in, trying to sound important.

"Wait… I've seen you two before…" Fullbody said, his eyes locked on Johnny and Yosaku. "You two frequent HQ for bounties. If I remember correctly… you're just a pair of small-time bounty hunters. Johnny and Yosaku, right? Guess I shouldn't be surprised you two finally got caught by pirates."

"Hey, I think he's trying to stick it to us, Bro," Johnny murmured to Yosaku.

"Yeah, we can't just let some random Marine Lieutenant call us 'small-time'," Yosaku agreed. "This ain't gonna net us a single Beri, but we can't let him bad-mouth us." However, as the two wound back their blades, I grabbed them by the shirt collars, causing them to drop some wanted posters. "Hey, what's the big idea, Brother Randy?"

"Do you two really want to risk getting a bounty for your own heads by attacking a Marine?" I asked, causing their faces to pale a bit.

"You should thank that pirate, you two," Fullbody grunted. "While I could work up an appetite by beating you bloody, I'd rather not spoil things for my date. And you, Pirate… you're lucky I'm off-duty today. The next time we meet, I'll show you why they call me 'Iron Fist'."

"But your name's not Danny Rand," I countered, causing Fullbody to get a tick mark on his head. "And I'm fairly sure my fists are harder than yours."

"Darling, don't mind the riff-raff," a female voice said from behind the door next to Fullbody. "Let's just prepare for the restaurant."

I turned to Nami, who was picking up the Bounty Posters Johnny dropped, and one made her freeze. "Johnny… what are these?" she asked coldly.

"They're Bounty Posters, Sister Nami," Johnny said, helping pick them up. "It's just the kinda work we do, kill one of these guys, and we get money for it." He reached for the one Nami was holding, but she gripped it a bit tighter than he suspected.

"Nami, are you okay?" I asked.

"Guys, they're aiming their cannon at us!" Usopp yelled, breaking Nami out of her stupor.

"Sink 'em," I heard Fullbody order as the Marine Vessel's rear cannon was aimed at us.

"I got it!" I roared, leaping onto the rail. " **Geppou!** " I rocketed off the railing as the cannon fired. "Sink this, asshole!" I kicked off the air, slamming an axe kick into the incoming cannonball and deflecting it into the water.

"What the hell?!" Fullbody, Johnny, and Yosaku all shrieked as I back-flipped off the air to land back on the railing.

"B-Brother Randy, what… how did you…" Yosaku blubbered out.

"Push-ups, sit-ups, and plenty of juice," I half-joked as I dusted my foot off.

"Why didn't you just catch that one like you did the Buggy Ball?" Zoro asked, drawing another shocked look out of the newer observers to my insane physical prowess.

"Did you see how much room I needed to kill the Buggy Ball's momentum?" I countered. "The Merry's big, but not that big. I didn't want to risk damaging our new ship."

"Y-You can catch cannonballs, Brother Randy?" Johnny asked in shock.

"Yep!" I laughed. "Wonder if Fullbody there brought a change of pants? Cause he looked like he needs a brown pair!"

"Let's just dock and get some seats," Nami interrupted. "Besides, I doubt he'll cause more trouble if he's on a date."

"Let's give it a minute," I said. "Last thing I want to do is irritate the Marines more than I have to."

-X-

As we walked in, there were customers strewn about on several tables, and we noticed Fullbody and his date at a table with most of the attention on them.

"Shouldn't there be more waiters here?" Usopp asked. "This is a pretty big place."

"They might be short on help, or something like that," Zoro commented as a tall man whose body somewhat resembled the structure of a lobster with a broad-shouldered torso and bulky forearms. I knew this was Patty, one of the chefs of the Baratie and we were about to be insulted.

"Welcome, you squid-faced bastards!" Patty greeted, his eyes upward and his face twisted into a weird smile. "How will you dumbasses be paying today, and how many in the party?"

"Cash, and party of six," I said, pulling out a ฿1,000 note. "Here's something to buy some etiquette lessons." Patty scowled a bit at the comment, but took the tip regardless.

"Right this way, mon-sewer," Patty said, putting on his obviously over-the-top smile. We were seated thankfully with Fullbody's back to us, so for the time being, he wouldn't notice us. "Take a moment to view the menu, and don't hesitate to never come back!" Patty walked away, still proud of his "customer service" as he skirted over to the restroom.

"Anyone else think that guy was rude as hell?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, what was up with that?" Usopp asked.

"I think like Brother Zoro said, they might be short on help," Johnny reminded us. "He might not be a waiter normally."

"That, or they're desperate," Yosaku commented. Our discussion was cut short by the sound of wood snapping and china breaking, Fullbody the cause. Fullbody had snapped his table in half and broken the dishes on it when they fell, spilling the soup everywhere.

"Seems you have no idea who you're dealing with," Fullbody rumbled as he lifted his metal-clad fist. The blond standing beside the table had a dark look on his face.

"Now sir… wouldn't you still be able to eat the soup if the bug was removed?" the blond asked.

"What did you say?" Fullbody growled. "I'M A PAYING CUSTOMER! FOR A DAMN COOK, YOU'RE FULL OF YOURSELF, AREN'T YOU?!"

"Fullbody, stop! Just forgive him!" his date begged.

"Can money fill a hungry stomach?" the blond asked with a hint of seething rage behind his voice.

"We've gotta stop Sanji!" the chefs roared as they ran out of the kitchen on hearing the commotion. "Stop the Sous-chef from killing him!" The battle was over in a second. Fullbody swung for Sanji's head, but Sanji dropped to his hands and spun his legs around and delivered a bone-shattering kick to Fullbody's head in return. Before he could even drop, Sanji stood back up and grabbed Fullbody by his neck.

"Remember this… going against your Chef while at sea is like committing suicide," Sanji scolded. "Don't you DARE waste food in front of me."

"WHAAA…?! The customer… Sanji!" Patty roared as he stomped over to Sanji. "This shit again?! The hell are you doing to the restaurant's lifeblood?! And he's a Marine Lieutenant to boot!"

"Hmm? Oh, it's just you, shitty cook," Sanji brushed off. "Don't use my name so casually."

"I ain't gonna stand by and let a shitty cook call _ME_ a shitty cook!" Patty grumbled. "It's a restaurant's duty to serve the customers like kings! And where do you get off harming one of our customers?!"

"So what if he's the customer?" Sanji snapped as he dropped Fullbody in a heap. "He dared to waste our precious food and he insulted a Cook! I was only teaching him a lesson!"

"What's with this place…? How can there be a restaurant that treats its customers with such ill hospitality?" Fullbody pondered. "I'll get this place shut down! I'll report you to the World Government!"

"Oh, so you're going to report us?" Sanji asked. "I guess I'll just have to kill you then."

"Wh-What?" Fullbody asked in complete astonishment.

"No, Sanji! Stop!" the other chefs begged as they ran to Sanji, struggling to hold him back. "Hold him back!"

"God, it pisses me off so much to see shitty spoiled brats like you!" Sanji roared as the other chefs continued to grapple their superior. "Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Sanji, what the hell is with all the noise?" a gruff older gentleman's voice barked as we saw another chef with a hat as high as the ceiling, a braided moustache, and a missing right leg with a peg replacing it walk down from the second story. "Are you causing trouble in my restaurant again?"

"Shut up, you shitty geezer…" Sanji snarled.

"It's Sanji alright, Head Chef!" Patty tattled. "This time he's gone and attacked an idiot Marine Lieutenant!"

"Are you trying to condemn my restaurant, you eggplant?!" Zeff barked as he slugged Sanji across the face with his peg leg before turning to Fullbody. "And you… GET THE HELL OUT OF MY RESTAURANT!" Fullbody was kicked to the wall by Zeff's peg leg and left in a bloody heap again.

"Even the owner's like this…" Usopp observed.

"They kinda have to be with sailing the waters that Pirates and Marines alike sail," I commented. "Imagine how many pirates probably try to sack this place for food or money."

"Lieutenant Fullbody! It's an emergency sir!" a Marine bellowed as he slammed the doors open, his head dripping blood. "Forgive me sir… but the man we had imprisoned escaped!"

"Man, for a restaurant, this place sure is noisy," Zoro commented.

"Krieg's second-in-command escaped!" the Marine grunt continued. "It took seven of us to capture him in the first place, but he's escaped!"

"He shouldn't even have the strength to move!" Fullbody snapped. "We captured him three days ago, and he hasn't had a crumb of food or a drop of water!"

"Krieg's second-in-command?! The same Don Krieg who commands the largest fleet in the East Blue?" the other patrons panicked as the Marine looked frantic.

"Forgive me, sir…!" the Marine grunt begged as he was plugged with a bullet from behind, revealing the shadow of a man, slightly hunched over.

"One customer on deck," Patty grumbled.

"He better not cause any trouble in my restaurant," Zeff commented as Sanji merely took a drag from his cigarette. The shooter simply walked past Fullbody and sat down at an empty table, kicking his feet up and leaning back.

"Anything will do… just bring me some food," the man said, looking around as dried blood caked the side of his face. "This _is_ a restaurant, right?"

"Welcome, you squid-faced bastard!" Patty greeted exactly like he did us, not even caring who he was talking to. The crowd got on edge as Patty nonchalantly insulted the man.

"I'm only gonna say this one more time," the man threatened. "I'm a customer, so you're gonna bring me some food this instant!"

"That Cook's as good as dead," Fullbody commented.

"Pardon me, dumbass, but do you have any money?" Patty asked, sweeping his hand back over his shaved head. The man simply leaned in and pointed the barrel of his gun point-blank at Patty's head.

"Do you take lead?" he asked, Patty's customer service face dropping to annoyance.

"So you're broke, huh?" Patty asked as he quickly clasped his hands together and slammed the man over his head with a hammer fist. The crowd was as relieved as Fullbody was confused.

"Dammit Patty, that table's coming out of your paycheck!" Zeff scolded.

"He's stronger than the Marine, that's for certain," Johnny commented as the crowd cheered for Patty.

"If you ain't got no money, you ain't no customer!" Patty resolved as the man's stomach rumbled like an angry lion. "Aw, is that your stomach?"

"N-no, it's just some gas," the man defended as he pushed himself to his elbows and knees. "Now hurry up… and bring me some food."

"If you're not a paying customer, then get the hell outta here!" Patty roared as he kicked the man in the stomach. "I ain't gonna give a single crumb to a broke-ass pirate scum like you!" Fullbody slipped away outside of almost everyone's notice as Patty curtsied for the crowd. "Now then, ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy your meals!" Patty then threw the man out, and Sanji retreated to the kitchen.

"I'll be back," I said, placing my menu down. "Give me a ring if the waiter comes for orders."

"Alright, sure," Zoro said as he smiled at me. "Whatever you say, Captain." I walked outside and leaned over the railing and saw Sanji feeding the man from earlier, and the man looked entirely thankful.

"I don't know what to say…" the man murmured, not even trying to hold back tears as he ate while speaking. "I've never had such delicious food in my entire life…! Thank you.. I thought I was going to die!"

"Just eat up, alright?" Sanji chuckled.

"Looks like you got lucky today, fella," I laughed as I leaped down from my perch. "And you, Sanji was it?"

"Yeah?" Sanji asked.

"I want you to join my crew," I stated calmly. "I need a Cook before my pirate crew and I head to the Grand Line!"

"What explains the cannon fire earlier," the man said as he finished his meal. "That jackass must have fired on you. Did he miss?"

"Nah, it's fine, I'll get used to it," I laughed. "And he didn't miss, I just kicked it into the water."

"You kicked a cannonball into the water?" Sanji asked in intrigue. "You might be able to give that geezer a run for his money, but I'd suggest you don't try anything funny. The shitty geezer used to be a pirate."

"Nah, I'll just run up a huge bill and pay it off in a fantastic manner," I joked. "And he used to be a pirate, huh? I think I've heard his name somewhere before, but it escapes me."

"Regardless, this restaurant's become the shitty geezer's pride and joy," Sanji continued. "The cooks here all came here because no one else can take these hot-blooded idiots who are one step away from being pirates. But it's good they're here, since pirates love to frequent our area."

"Never a dull moment, right?" I smirked.

"Never a dull moment," Sanji echoed. "But for us, it's the daily routine. Some guests just come to watch the pirates and chefs fight, but it's scared away all our waiters."

"So then anyone who runs up a bill probably would have to work it off," I reasoned. "Well, regardless, I'm still gonna have you join my crew."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Sanji declined. "I'll be sticking around here for the foreseeable future."

"Then I guess I'll have to stick around too," I countered. "Because I'm not leaving until you're coming with me."

"Then you can rot for all I care," Sanji sighed, taking a drag on his cigarette. "I'll be here until the day I die."

"Any reason for that?" I asked.

"None of your business, shitty Straw-Hat," Sanji snapped.

"Hey, keep my straw hat outta this!" I snapped back. "This thing's my treasure, and I won't let a half-baked Cook insult me!"

"Who're you calling a half-baked Cook, you shitty dumbass?!" Sanji snapped back as well.

"Sorry to cut in…" the man said, breaking the tension. "But I'm Gin, of the Krieg Pirates." He looked me dead in the eyes. "You said you were going to the Grand Line. Why?"

"Because I'm gonna find the One Piece and become the Pirate King!" I said, beaming at Gin.

"If you're still looking for a Cook, your crew's not very big, is it?" Gin asked.

"Well, once I get this stubborn guy in, I'll have 5 people total," I said, pointing to Sanji.

"Don't count me in on this!" Sanji snapped.

"You seem like a good kid, so I'm gonna give you some advice," Gin said, looking grim. "Stay out of the Grand Line if you can. That place is a deathtrap. You've got plenty of time, you're young. Take some time to explore the other Blues and then attempt it later."

"From the sounds of things, you have some experience with the Grand Line," I observed.

"Some experience? It was like walking into hell…" Gin bemoaned as he rubbed his temples.

"For a Krieg Pirate, you're a bit of a whiner," Sanji stated.

"Krieg… you mean Don Krieg, the guy with the biggest pirate armada in the East Blue, right?" I asked.

"Fifty ships strong, or at least… we used to be," Gin said solemnly.

"What happened?" Sanji asked _._

"I... I don't even KNOW," Gin said, trembling in fear, clutching his headband. "It's like everything I know was turned on its head..."

"Still, I'm not giving up on my dream," I said, smirking at Gin defiantly. Gin looked at me, staring into my eyes. He calmed down, taking a deep breath as he finally let go of his headband.

"Well… it's your funeral kid," Gin advised solemnly. "I better get outta here. I nabbed a lifeboat from that Marine jackass. Kid… I just wanted to warn you."

"Thanks Gin, but I'm set on going to the Grand Line," I resolved, smiling at him.

"Well… I guess I can't make you do it, but good luck out there, kid," Gin said as he leaped into the lifeboat.

"My name's not 'kid', it's Randy," I said. "Monkey D. Randy, the future King of the Pirates!"

"I'll remember that. And Sanji…" Gin said, looking at Sanji. "Thank you so much for the meal. It was really the best I've ever had, and I owe you my life for that. Would you mind…" He smiled fondly at Sanji. "If I came back here to eat again?"

"Come back any time, Gin," Sanji said, smiling right back.

"Sanji, what the hell are you doing?" Zeff roared from the upper deck. "Your smoke break's over!"

"Shit, the plate…" Gin said, noticing Zeff's gaze towards the empty plate and glass. However, I smirked as I pat Sanji on the shoulder.

"Thanks for the sample, Sanji," I chuckled as Sanji looked a bit confused. "I think I'll have to order a larger helping of that shrimp-fried rice for my meal."

"You're welcome," Sanji said, recovering from the surprise with as much smoothness as an oiled machine.

"You two…" Gin said, trying to pull his headband down over his tear-filled eyes. He knelt on the boat's deck and bowed his head to us. "I'll never forgive this kindness you've given me!"

"Just don't get caught again, Gin!" I urged as Gin started to sail away.

"Sanji, if you're done flirting with the customer, get back to work!" Zeff ordered.

"I wouldn't flirt with this shitty customer if he paid me!" Sanji snapped back, before turning to me.

"You're not my type anyway," I chuckled as I walked back inside. "I prefer the fairer sex."

-X-

"So, how'd it go?" Zoro asked, looking at me as I returned to the table.

"How'd what go?" I asked, sitting down and picking up the menu.

"Oh please, I know that look in your eye," Zoro commented with a smirk. "You've picked our Cook. You look like you're not gonna give up on him. I remember that look from when we met."

"Heh, you got me," I chuckled as I looked over the drink selection, already set on my food. "Yeah, there's someone here who looks like a good guy."

"Guess we're stuck here until you convince him then," Nami sighed.

"Well hey, at least the food's good here!" Usopp agreed as Patty came back to take our orders.

"So jerks, what can we serve you?" Patty asked in his twisted politeness.

"I'll take the shrimp fried rice, and a glass of grape juice with it," I said.

"If you've got Sea King Meat, I'll take that with some white rice and ale," Zoro added.

"We'll take the same as Big Bro Zoro," Yosaku spoke up for himself and Johnny.

"The shrimp fried rice sounds good, but I'll take a glass of tangerine juice if you have it," Nami said.

"I'll take an order of grilled pike and some chips," Usopp said.

"Alright, I'll get to work on it!" Patty said, dashing back to the kitchen with his notepad scribbled with our orders. As Patty left, I got a tingling feeling on the back of my neck, and looked around.

"Something wrong?" Nami asked.

"No, I just got a weird feeling," I said, a bit confused. I looked around the restaurant and my eyes caught a woman sitting by herself. She had shoulder-length raven locks, green eyes behind fashionable glasses, was wearing a purple t-shirt and some figure-hugging black pants, and was currently sitting on her own, but I kept getting the willies from her for some reason. "Her. It's coming from her?"

"A beauty like that?" Johnny asked. "She's giving you the willies?"

"So you felt it too," Zoro observed as he idly drummed the pommel of Wado Ichimonji. "It's kinda unnerving."

"S-So what do we do?" Usopp asked.

"Keep an eye on her, I guess," I said, turning back to face the table, not noticing her noticing my noticing. It didn't take too much longer for the food to arrive, as it should be with a kitchen full of seasoned sea-chefs.

"Wow, this all looks great!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Yeah, and the best part is we're gonna be eating here for a while!" I agreed as I shoveled a spoonful of rice into my mouth.

"You sure about this Randy?" Zoro asked. That got our mystery lady's attention, before she turned back to her table.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said. "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere until we get that cook."

"O' Mother Ocean! Thank you for arranging this encounter today!" Sanji crooned as he offered a rose to Nami, making her jump back a bit in surprise. "O' love, laugh at me if you must, I can't bear withholding my tortuous passions!" He placed his hands over his heart, kneeling next to Nami. "If I can be with a beauty as you, I'll walk any path, be it a pirate or a devil!" He stood up, pulling a rather dramatic pose, his eye still a pink heart-shape. "Ah, but alas, there is such tragedy! A great obstacle stands between us!"

"And by obstacle, you mean me, right Sanji?" Zeff said, leaning back on the back of a chair.

"Aw crap, the shitty geezer!" Sanji snapped.

"This is great. Why don't you just go off and be a pirate with them?" Zeff asked half-sarcastically. "I don't need a guy like you in my restaurant anymore!"

"What?!" Sanji barked. "You damn shitty geezer, I'm the Sous Chef here. How is that being not needed?"

"You cause too much trouble with our guests, and if they're women, you just drool all over them," Zeff listed off. "You also can't cook a decent meal to save your life. You're just baggage weighing this place down, and the other cooks are sick of you too, as you probably know. So whether you be a pirate or not, I don't give a shit as long as you get outta my restaurant."

"So that's what you really think, huh?" Sanji asked, grabbing Zeff's collar. "I can let most of that slide, but I won't let you insult my cooking! No matter what you say or do, I'm staying here, you got it?!"

"You're a hundred years too young to be lecturing me, Eggplant!" Zeff said, bringing Sanji into a shoulder throw at our table. We quickly grabbed up the food before Sanji hit, the table's legs buckling easily under the weight.

"…damn it!" Sanji cursed as he picked himself up. "You can try to chase me out all you want, but I'll stay here as the Sous Chef, got that?! At least until the day you die!"

"I ain't dyin' anytime soon," Zeff grunted as he walked back towards the kitchen. "I'll be sticking around for another hundred years."

"You've got a damn mouth for a shitty geezer," Sanji spat venomously.

"Pot, meet kettle," I commented, my own plate on my head. I clapped my hand on Sanji's shoulder. "Well, you heard him, he doesn't want you here. So you can come with us!"

"As if!" Sanji snapped, glaring at me.

"Well, now we need a new table," Zoro commented.

"You can use mine," a female voice chimed in, drawing our attention back to the raven-haired mystery woman as she gave us a cat-like smile. "I'm not using all this extra space."

"That's pretty kind of you, Miss…" I said, walking our own dishes over.

"Panala Borgen," she smoothly answered. "And who are you all?"

"I'm Nami," Nami started, taking her seat beside our new acquaintance.

"I'm Usopp, perhaps you've heard of me," Usopp bragged as he sat a bit away from Nami.

"Perhaps I have, perhaps I haven't~" Panala purred before looking at Zoro as he set some dishes down. "Hmm… green hair… a green bellyband… and three swords… you wouldn't happen to be Roronoa Zoro, would you?"

"You'd be right," Zoro said, taking a seat across from Nami.

"I'm Johnny, Miss Borgen," Johnny said, trying the schmooze it up with the new girl. And this is my partner, Yosaku."

"Hello Miss," Yosaku said, giving her a quick nod.

"My my, partners eh?" Panala asked. "In occupation or… other things~?" Her comments made Johnny and Yosaku start sputtering.

"I-It's not like that, I swear!" Johnny blurted out as Panala giggled. "We're just bros, a bounty hunting duo!"

"It seems that she's just teasing you two, Johnny," I sighed, setting their plates down in front of them.

"And you are?" Panala asked, leaning just over the edge of the table to give me a not-so-subtle look at her cleavage.

"Monkey D. Randy, the future Pirate King," I plainly stated, Panala's eyes widening a bit at my name and declaration.

"Interesting…" she said after a brief pause. "There's a lot of men who declare that nowadays."

"Well, can't say they're like me," I grinned back at her, taking my seat beside her.

"My apologies for the ruckus," Sanji said, quickly sliding two cups of mixed chopped fruit to Nami and Panala, and pouring them each a glass of wine. "As a token of apology, please enjoy this fruit macedonia and a glass of our finest Grand Marnier."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Nami cheered.

"How nice of you~" Panala purred as she rubbed her finger under Sanji's chin. "But I don't think we'll be able to pay you for this favor…"

"It's on the house!" Sanji swooned as hearts entered his eyes again.

"Hey, what about us?!" Usopp complained. "This is gender discrimination! I'll sue you, love cook!"

"I already brought you some tea, that should be enough," Sanji growled at Usopp, his cigarette clenched in his teeth. "You should thank me, long nose."

"Wha? You wanna start something, is that it?" Usopp asked. "I ain't gonna go easy on you!" He turned his head to Zoro. "Geddim Zoro!"

"Get him yourself," Zoro said, sipping his tea.

"Mmmm, delicious~!" Nami complimented as she ate away at her fruit macedonia.

"Even sweeter when it's free~" Panala commented with a lick of her lips, Sanji's visible eye and the gazes of Johnny and Yosaku trailing the juices dripping down her chin.

"I think I'm going to like you," Nami chuckled as Usopp glared at Sanji.

"I think I'm going to like him," Panala chuckled herself as she looked at Sanji, Johnny looking a bit crestfallen.

"Outmanned by a blond cook…" Johnny bemoaned as Yosaku pat his shoulder comfortingly.

"You haven't even cleared away my plate!" Usopp complained. Sanji leaned over and saw the remaining food Usopp left untouched.

"You still have some mushrooms left," Sanji observed. "Finish them."

"I left them on purpose because I hate mushrooms!" Usopp hissed, his nose bending back as he was in Sanji's face. "I was poisoned by one when I was a kid!"

"Well, these ones aren't poisoned, so go ahead and eat up, long nose," Sanji snarled.

"You two don't have to fight over little ol' me…~" Nami coyly purred in Sanji's direction.

"Anything for you, miss!" Sanji immediately obeyed.

"Who's fighting over you!?" Usopp snapped.

"By the way, Mr. Cook…" Panala purred as she guided Sanji's face to her own. "I was thinking of treating my friend Nami to some food here, but it's all so expensive…"

"Then for the two of you, it's free!" Sanji said, Panala hugging him with his heart-eye going.

"Thank you ever so much~!" Panala tittered, as she gave Nami a knowing wink.

"You guys are all still paying though," Sanji coldly declared.

"WHAT?!" Usopp seethed.

"Give it up Usopp, you're not gonna win this one," I commented as I grabbed his plate. "If you don't want your food, I'll take it." Usopp grumbled a bit as I speared the mushrooms on my fork and handed his now empty plate back. "Besides, if you didn't want mushrooms, make sure you don't order them."

I ate up the mushrooms quickly as Zoro looked at Nami and Panala, the damsel duo sipping their wine. "Great, we already had one witch to deal with, now we have two…" Zoro grumbled as Sanji slipped away to greet more female customers.

"You fellas better watch out," Nami smirked as she winked to Panala. I ignored her and just sipped the tea I was given, noting Panala was looking at me thoughtfully.

-X-

I had taken a break from hounding Sanji to get back to my training on the Merry. I was picking up some weights when I heard a step on the deck.

"So this is where you've been Randy," Panala said as I turned to face her. "How long have you been here? And where's Luffy?" I froze. No one else should have known of that name aside from me at this point. I slowly walked up to Panala, getting right in her face, ignoring the cleavage she was trying to draw me to.

"…where did you hear that name?" I demanded to know in a low whisper.

"The same place you heard it, silly," Panala purred in my ear. "After all, I can't count the times you gushed over Oda's work." My eyes shot wide as I stepped back. "And I can't blame you for not recognizing me. Devil Fruits are weird like that."

"What do you mean, not recognizing you?" I asked as Panala took a few steps back, and her body seemed to melt and inflate. Her shoulders became broader, her chest flattened and her hips drew back in. Her hair became much shorter and scruffier, her jawline widened, and an Adam's apple formed in her throat. I couldn't believe my eyes. It'd been for me, seventeen years since I'd seen this person last… and yet for them, it seemed to be far less. "P-Pana…"

"Bring it in, you dork," "Panala" laughed as I embraced my best friend from back on Earth in a tight hug.

* * *

 _ **A/N: DUN-DUN-DUUUUUN! Plot twist!**_

 **Luffy: Who's the mystery lady?**

 **Randy: That's-**

 **Panala: I'm Panala Borgen, Randy's best friend from back on Earth!**

 ** _A/N-_ Randy: _HOW'D YOU GET HERE!?_**

 **Luffy: Ohhh, that mystery place Randy came from. So you ARE a mystery lady!**

 **Panala: Sure, let's go with that. And duh, you wrote me in, dork one and dork two.**

 **Randy: As if we needed another person in the Review Response section.**

 _ **A/N: Just roll with it. You're going to be seeing a lot more of her in the future. Anyway, onto the reviews!**_

 _ **To Laradhel:**_

 _ **A/N: Hey, we've all got work to do, and yours is just as busy as mine, if not more so.**_

 **Randy: And I'm not really a smarter Luffy, I'm still me. Luffy's not really dumb I want to say.**

 **Panala: In D &D terms, Luffy's got average INT, but he's just got a lower WIS. And I'm going to have an absolute ball messing with Blond-ji.**

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 _ **A/N: Usopp's development is probably going to change a bit, mostly because I'm going to be doing my damn-dest to not have that fight happen. But if it would happen as I can see it, it will.**_

 **Randy: Temporal causality's a whole 'nother can of worms.**

 _ **To sarahgri99:**_

 **Randy: Yeah, there's a bit more to me that we're going to be showing from now on.**

 _ **A/N: Randy's mental state is going to be a touchy subject. It's hard enough going through life once, imagine having to go through it again and suffer just as much if not worse than you ever did the first time.**_

 **Panala: So we'll address it as we go.**

 _ **To Rangle:**_

 _ **A/N: You know, your comment isn't the first time I've seen that, nor will it probably be the last. I'm not going to assume you're reading this because it doesn't look like you read any further. But if you are, I'm trying to improve this story and that concept overall.**_

 **Luffy: And I'm here again, so there! *sticks tongue out at computer screen***

 **Panala: Does he do this a lot?**

 ** _A/N-_ Randy: _YES._**

 _ **To Arthuer2light:**_

 _ **A/N: Thank you, I caught that and edited it accordingly. I really need to pre-script all my stuff before I just go and post it, which I did this time!**_

 _ **To bennyf3502:**_

 **Panala: To answer your first question, Uh-HELL YEAH HE IS!**

 **Randy: Yep, she's joining next chapter, no doubt.**

 **Panala: SPOILERS!**

 **Randy: Was that really a spoiler? Anyway, I'm about 5 feet, 11 inches tall, a bit of a broad-shouldered build, brown hair, brown eyes, and a triangular flesh scar I sport due to that jerk Higuma back when I was seven. Yes, I can make an angry face, and I'll spill the beans when I'm good and ready.**

 _ **A/N: As for flying, I've got a plan for that, but that's not until we get into Grand Line craziness and other plot variants.**_

 **Luffy: Why are you asking questions?**

 ** _A/N-_ Randy: _DON'T YOU START TOO!_**

 _ **To Guest:**_

 _ **A/N: Hooooo, boy, this is gonna be a long one. I brought Luffy back into Randy's head because people pointed out that without Luffy, the story felt kinda boring. So I decided that I'd bring Luffy back as a sort of adviser to Randy, in his mindscape. But Luffy being Luffy... Well, it's not working out so well.**_

 **Randy: Tell me about it.**

 _ **A/N: And you're right, it feels like it's kinda back-tracking on that point, but Luffy's a vehement hater of spoilers, so he's not going to advise Randy unless he feels Randy really needs a kick in the pants.**_

 **Panala: And if he doesn't do it, I will.**

 _ **A/N: No, his power is not to do all fantasy martial arts. Even if that is a cool power, there's no real basis for it in conventional Devil Fruit limitations that I can think of. Is Flowey Island going to happen? Well... you'll have to wait and see.**_

 **Panala: That sounds like a yes.**

 _ **A/N: Quiet you.**_

 **Panala: I WILL NOT BE SILENCED!**

 **Randy: Yes, Panala and I are more worshippers of Lord Arceus, as well as several other fantasy deities.**

 **Luffy: What's an Arceus?**

 **Randy: What generation of Pokemon is he on?**

 _ **A/N: Hasn't even cleared Crystal yet.**_

 **Luffy: Why can't I beat this Miltank thing!?**

 _ **A/N: Anyway, that's it for now! Please rate, review, and comment if you liked it!**_

 **Panala: Next time on Sexy Guardian Panala-Chan, we set out on my journey to find new and exciting ways to humiliate Sanji and ignore Usopp!**

 _ **A/N: ...what have I unleashed?**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Wow, sorry it took so long guys! Over a month and I didn't post anything sooner.**_

 **Panala: You got busy, just try not to do it again.**

 **Luffy: Busy with what?**

 **Randy: Unlike you, he's got a job that doesn't let him do whatever the fek he wants because he has bills to pay.**

 **Luffy: Why not just ask Nami for a loan?**

 _ **A/N: HELL NO.**_

 **Nami: Did someone need a loan?**

 _ **A/N: HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE!?**_

 **Panala: The sheer power of her greed.**

 _ **A/N: ...makes as much sense as anything else in this crazy world.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or its characters, I only own any original characters I create and any additional character exploration I delve into for the story.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 17: Returning Friends and Enemies**_

* * *

"So, aside from the scar and being the Captain of the Straw Hats, what's new?" Pana asked, laughing as I hugged him.

"That's what I should be asking you!" I countered. "You're here! You don't look a day different from when I last saw you! Aside from the new girl form that is."

"Okay, my story's probably shorter anyway," Pana acquiesced. "So after you… disappeared for a long time, I was worried sick about you when your screenname came back on Trillian. I demanded to know where you were and what happened, and then I got dropped on my ass onto a ship headed for the Baratie. I had nothing but the clothes on my back, and a Devil Fruit in a fancy chest with my name on it."

"I'm surprised you ate it," I said, looking Pana in the eye. "So, obviously a Zoan, what model is it?"

"Not sure," Pana said, shifting back into Panala's form easily enough. "It's probably a female-only species, and human-like."

"Anything off about it?" I asked.

"Well, this form kinda happened after I ate the cursed thing," Panala replied with a shrug. "I think it's my default now. I only ate this like, two days ago. And I was on a crowded passenger ship."

"So, not a lot of time to experiment then…" I mused, rubbing my chin. "Well, do I have to say it?"

"Say what, Randy-kun?" Panala asked, looking at me innocently with big, doe-like eyes. I had to snicker a bit.

"Are you going to join the Straw Hat Pirates or not, you bimbo?" I laughed as Panala hugged me.

"Duh, I'm not letting you outta my sight ever again, Randy-kun~" Panala purred teasingly before letting up on the hug. "So what were you coming over here for anyway?"

"You followed me without knowing? What, were you that confident in your questioning?" I asked before slapping my face. "No, it's you, of course you were." I had to sigh, it felt like for the first time in seventeen years, I was home again. "If you must know, I was going to get back to my training. I've been sculpting this body of mine for ten years so I can fight like a demon." I threw my vest and shirt off, and Panala locked her gaze on my abs.

"Sculpt is right…" Panala said in a bit of a daze. "Sorry, sorry! Just… holy crap, last I saw you, you were a chubby nerd."

"That was me when I didn't know what puberty, a good diet, and an exercise regimen would do," I laughed. "Not to mention I have a Monkey's metabolism and appetite. I had a good time of that ten years having to hunt my own food."

"Yeesh, that's right, I forgot how calm and easy our lives back home were…" Panala mumbled. "So, um… what's your workout like?"

"Watch and learn," I commented as I started moving through the motions of my attacks.

-X-

The next two days were spent introducing me to everyone, calling myself a friend from back home with Randy, which wasn't quite a lie. I got to know everyone a little better, and seduced some delicious treats outta Sanji to boot! It was gonna be so much fun toying around with him on our down time in the future.

Zoro mostly seemed suspicious of me at first and clearly didn't think much of me. Can't say I blame him, he was suspicious of everyone. But I think I threw him off with my ogling him whenever he started his own training or sparred with Randy.

Nami and I got along like a house on fire. Girl talk, playing around with the boys' minds, fashion talks, I'm surprised she even let me borrow an outfit or two before we got to the next area with a clothing store. Well, she offered to let me borrow them with a low-return interest rate. For her, that's a blessing.

Usopp and I got along well, he just needs some work on his storytelling. Or rather, less storytelling. I swear, when he wasn't screwing around with his gadgets, he was talking my ear off with a tall tale longer than his nose.

Johnny and Yosaku were alright, I just didn't pay too much attention to them, unless Randy decided to drag them along on our little adventure. Still, it was fun kinda teasing them every occasionally. They were like if you combined Sanji and Zoro and then split them into twins.

But I'm stalling, so after those two days, we saw a massive galleon that was barely holding together come forward from behind the Baratie. The ship towered over the restaurant by at least twice its height, and it was in a sorry shape. Pieces were missing along with several slash marks dotting across the hull, and a chunk of the panther-like figurehead was missing, looking half-cut and half-blown out. The rear mast was snapped almost off and barely hanging on, and the sails were shredded mostly by winds by the looks of it.

"Wh-what's with that ship?!" Usopp panicked.

"Well, if my bet's right, that's the flagship of Don Krieg," I commented, as we all looked at the damaged ship.

"D-Don Krieg?!" Johnny yelped in his deep voice. "But he's the commander of an armada of fifty ships!"

"And five thousand men!" Yosaku chimed in. "He'll cream us!"

"Don't you think it's suspicious though?" Zoro asked.

"What are you talking about?" Nami asked from her hiding place behind the railing on the Merry.

"If Krieg's armada has fifty ships, where are they?" I asked. "And why's this one so beat up?"

"Th-then they're down to one ship?" Usopp asked with a bit more courage. "But what could have done that to them?!"

"If I was a gambling girl…" I hummed, rubbing my chin. "I'd say the Grand Line."

"What?!" Usopp, Nami, Johnny, and Yosaku all shrieked loud enough to blow my ears off. This was gonna take some getting used to…

-X-

Sanji was trying to get away from Randy when Don Krieg's flagship came into view, stopping to gawk on the second story's exterior patio. "Holy shit… what's with that shitty ship…" Sanji muttered. "It looks like it got sent through a cheese grater… They must have run into a natural disaster; no man could do that to a ship…"

"That must be Don Krieg's ship, at least judging from the Jolly Roger," Randy commented as he stopped next to Sanji, who he was still trying to convince to come with us. "Guess Gin's come back."

"Something tells me that's not a good thing," Sanji quipped, taking a drag on his cigarette, before looking at the excited look in Randy's eyes. "What's with you?"

"You kidding? Don Krieg's a pirate who could afford to hire five THOUSAND men! Even if he's down to one ship, that's the ship he's on, and it's the one with the best loot!" Randy eagerly explained. "I'mma go loot me a pirate ship!"

"Are you crazy?!" Sanji asked as Randy hopped on the rail. Randy only turned back, and smirked as he moved his pointer finger and thumb together like he was squeezing something between them.

"Just a little bit," Randy laughed. "After all, you've gotta be a little crazy to survive on the Grand Line!"

"Shitty Straw Hat…" Sanji grumbled as Randy leaped off the rail and bounced over to the Merry.

-X-

"You can't be serious!" Usopp whined as I grabbed a large tarp to use as a sack and some rope to tie it off with. "You'll get yourself killed if you go try to raid Krieg's flagship! Don Krieg's big trouble!"

"Trouble? Nah, you only get in trouble if you get caught!" I joked as I smirked at my crew.

"Whatever you say, Aladdin," Panala quipped as she folded her arms under her bust.

"Relax, I'm sure they're too busy being defeated to even try to stop me," I said, sliding my straw hat into my vest and tying off a bandana to do my best Zoro impression. "And I'm stealthy, quick, and clever. They don't stand a chance." I turned to Nami, who was looking contemplative. "You want to come with, Nami?"

"Er, n-no! It's fine!" Nami said, looking surprised and a bit scared. "I love money, but I'm not taking my chances on a ship like that! I'll just leave the rough stuff to you, Randy!"

"Eh, whatever floats your boat, Nami," I said as I stepped onto the rail of the Merry. "Wish me luck guys! **Swallow Wing!** " I quickly flashed through the air to get to Krieg's ship, just as I saw Gin carrying a man in a large jacket into the Baratie on his shoulder.

-X-

"You worms think you can defy me?!" Don Krieg roared after shooting down several of the cooks of the Baratie with the hidden gun turrets on his body. Sanji had been kind enough to feed Krieg after Gin brought the pirate to the Baratie, and now revitalized, he sought to feed his remaining crew of 100 and then take the Baratie for himself. "I'm the strongest man on these seas!" Krieg flexed his arm, the joint on the armor he wore straining just a little from his muscle mass. "This steel arm, more powerful than anyone else's!" His breastplate shone gold, showing no damage or scuffs from Patty firing a hand-cannon at him near-point-blank. "My body's clad in Wootz Steel, the strongest metal around!" He grabbed the glove on his left arm, yanking it off and revealing the gold gauntlet underneath, the knuckles and back of the hand each covered by a diamond of high quality and very expensive.

"My entire body is a finely tuned weapon! I'm the Fleet Admiral of a fleet of fifty ships and Commander of five thousand men! I've won every single battle I've been in! There is no other man worthier of the title of "Don"! So if I tell you to prepare food for my men, then you shut up and do it! No one goes against Don Krieg!"

Much to the surprise and objection of the Baratie Cooks, Chef Zeff walked forward from the kitchen and dropped a large cloth sack in front of Krieg. "There's food for one hundred men in that bag, so hurry and bring it to your men," Zeff ordered as Krieg processed what the owner's name was.

"Did… Did they just say "Zeff"?" Krieg asked in astonishment.

"Sure sounds like it," Krieg heard a voice say from behind him as a straw-hat-clad young man walked past him, carrying a sack twice as large as the sack Zeff dropped. "Hey, Owner Zeff, I kinda know I've been running up a tab lately…"

"Oh, it's you, Straw Hat," Zeff curtly observed. "Come to pay your bill and skedaddle?"

"In a way, yes and no," Randy replied, smirking. "You see, I still need to recruit Sanji for my crew…"

"I told you I'm not joining your pirate crew!" Sanji snapped from his restrained position on the floor.

"So I'll cut you a deal. I help you drive off this jackass, and you cut my tab in half," Randy continued regardless. "I'll pay the rest before I leave for good."

"You got any collateral for that?" Zeff gruffly inquired. "I'm not one to take banter as payment."

"Right here," Randy said as he patted the sack and set it down.

"You… you're 'Red Leg' Zeff!" Don Krieg realized. "The man who was Captain and Cook of a peerless pirate crew… you were thought dead!"

"So, I'm alive, what's it to you… defeated sailors of the Grand Line?" Zeff jabbed.

"What?! Don Krieg was defeated by the Grand Line?!" the Baratie chefs echoed in shock, letting Sanji stand up.

"It matters because you were a great sailor," Don Krieg said as he folded his arms and glanced at Zeff's peg leg. "But from the looks of it, you're living as a chef not by choice. With the way you are now… you can't wear those infamous 'Red Shoes' of yours. You were a master combatant who refused to use his hands in battle. Your kicks pulverized stone and even left indents on steel! Your epithet was for the blood of your enemies that soaked into your feet, hence 'Red Leg". Looks like those rumors about you were true. You survived a terrible shipwreck, but you lost one of your precious legs. Without both legs, you can't fight anymore."

"So long as I have my hands, I can still cook, so I don't care about fighting," Zeff countered, Sanji looking a slight bit guilty. "What exactly are you getting at?"

"'Red Leg' Zeff, you're a man who ventured into the Grand Line and returned safe and sound!" Krieg summarized. "You must have kept a log during your voyage, and that's what I'm getting at! I want that log!"

"So you've been to the Grand Line, Zeff-san?" I asked feigning ignorance.

"Yes, I have, Straw Hat," Zeff answered as he looked at me. "You're right to assume I kept a log, and I still have it to this day." Zeff turned his gaze back to Krieg. "But I'm not gonna give it over to the likes of you. That log is the pride of myself and the men who sailed with me on that voyage, and you don't deserve such a treasure!"

"Then I'll steal it from you, along with this restaurant!" Krieg snapped, shaking his fist at Zeff. "It's true I came back from the Grand Line defeated, but even so, I'm still the mighty Don Krieg! That ocean shrouded by darkness, when merely mentioned causes men to quake in their boots… I had enough power to conquer that sea! Enough manpower! Enough ambition! The only thing I lacked was information! That was the only flaw in my plans!" He glared as Zeff, gritting his teeth. "I simply didn't know enough, so I'll steal that log and this ship!"

"Like hell we're gonna let you!" Patty cut in. "If we lose this ship, we can't go nowhere else!"

"Yeah, nowhere else is gonna take in cooks like us!" Carne added. "We've all been kicked outta restaurant after restaurant for our attitudes!"

"Chef Zeff is the only one who accepted us!" the Baratie Cooks also contributed. "We ain't lettin' you pirates steal our home away!"

"Silence! The difference between your strength and mine is as clear as night and day! I even proved it to you just now! Don't you dare forget my strength!" Krieg cuttingly ordered. "Once I obtain Zeff's log and reassemble my Armada, I'll find the One Piece and become the King of the Pirates!"

"HOLD IT!" Randy yelled, throwing his finger at Krieg in his best Phoenix Wright impression. "That's a lie right there! The one who will find the One Piece and become the Pirate King…" He yanked his arm back, pointing at himself with his thumb. "Is me, Monkey D. Randy!"

"What the hell is this kid saying?!" Carne yelped. Sanji merely stood silent at Randy's defiant resolve.

"Kid, stand down on that, or you're gonna die!" Patty strongly suggested.

"No, this is one point on which I'll never stand down!" I said, smirking at Krieg.

"What was that, you brat?" Krieg asked in a low rumble. "I'll be nice enough to let that comment slide…"

"Not after this you won't," Randy chuckled as he undid the rope on the sack he handed to Zeff, and the bag's contents were opened. Krieg's jaw almost dropped to the floor as he saw some very familiar goods inside. "See, before you so rudely came into the Baratie, I took advantage of your ship's state to raid your treasure room."

"You what?!" Krieg roared in disbelief. "Impossible! I paid top dollar for that cage and those chests! Nothing short of a ton of dynamite can break those chests, and I'm the only one with the keys! You couldn't have lockpicked those in that short a time, let alone find the room!"

"But it's here, and you recognized it, didn't you?" Randy countered, only grinning cheekily at the seething Krieg. "Besides, it's only the truth that I'm going to become the Pirate King."

"This isn't a game, you brat…" Krieg fumed.

"Oh, well how about we make it one?" Randy countered. "If you can beat ME, you'll get your treasure back along with this ship. But let's face it, that's NEVER going to happen. After all, you couldn't even beat the Grand Line's weather."

"That's a fact, huh?" Zoro chimed in from the table he, Usopp, and Panala were sitting at.

"If even Don Krieg couldn't make it there, then I have no objections to not going there!" Usopp hastily protested.

"Shut up, you big scaredy-cat," Panala teased. "So, you need a hand for this fight, Randy-kun?"

"Nah, I got this," Randy brushed aside. "You won't even have to leave those seats."

"Ha… haha… AHAHAHA! So that's your crew?!" Krieg bellowed in laughter. "A rather small bunch, aren't they?"

"I prefer quality over quantity," Randy countered. "Unlike SOME people who prefer to employ thousands of weak men and use cheap tactics." Krieg's laughter quickly died and he locked eyes with Randy. "Besides, I have two more crew members."

"You just counted me in that, didn't you?" Sanji deadpanned.

"Don't even joke with me, you punk!" Krieg snapped. "I had a crew of five thousand men and fifty ships, and we lost them all in only seven days in that hellhole from poor information!"

"S-Seven days?! The Krieg Pirates were decimated in a week?!" the Baratie cooks shrieked. "What the hell happened to them?!"

"D-Did you hear that?!" Usopp whimpered, tugging on Zoro's shirt. "Fifty ships and five thousand men, gone in a week!"

"Sounds interesting…" Zoro mused with a hint of excitement.

"Even as a bluff, your comments show how ignorant you really are of this reality," Krieg droned. "If there's one thing I hate, it's empty boasting. So quit your talking or I'll kill you on the spot once I get back from unloading this food!"

"Empty boasting, huh?" Randy echoed as he cracked his neck. "From the looks of it, you must have lost your ships to the intense random weather of the Grand Line. Keeping a fleet of fifty ships in order during storms like that would be difficult even for the best team of Navigators." Krieg's eyes narrowed and Zeff's eyebrow raised slightly. "But that's not all. It looks like you were attacked by someone who has far more experience and power than even an entire army, possibly one of the Shichibukai."

"You…" Krieg growled. "Fine, I'm going to kill you anyway, you smart-mouthed punk. As for the rest of you, this is your last and only warning." He grabbed the sack of food, his eyes not faltering off Randy for a second. "I'm going to go give this food to my subordinates, and then return to this ship. If you don't want to die, then leave. All I need is Zeff's log and this ship." He turned on heel, leaving Gin on his knees and looking utterly crestfallen. "If any of you stick around after this, well, I won't be responsible for your deaths! I'll give you the courtesy of a burial at sea!"

"Sanji… please forgive me…" Gin begged as he hunched over, sweat rolling down his face. "I… I had no idea this would happen…"

"You don't need to apologize," Zeff cut in. "The cooks of the Baratie acted on their own accord, and this is the result."

"Sir, how could _you_ of all people side with Sanji on this?!" Patty demanded. "Just what's going on here?!"

"Yeah, this is all that bastard Sanji's fault!" Carne chimed in. "He just wants to destroy your precious restaurant!"

"What the hell Sanji?!" the cooks continued. "Were you planning this so you could get rid of Zeff and become the next Head Chef?! Or did you just completely lose it?!"

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" Zeff barked thunderously. "Have any of you actually been hungry enough to die? Do any of you know how terrifying and painful it is to be stuck on the ocean with no food or drinking water?" Sanji merely lit his cigarette as a shadow covered his visible eye.

"Wha… what are you talking about, sir?" the cooks asked.

"If any of you all got time for bellyaching over spilt milk, then you can leave out the back," Zeff said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.

"No… I'm gonna stay here!" Patty said, grabbing an oversized fork that resembled a trident. "I'd rather die than leave with my tail between my legs!"

"Yeah, same here!" the Baratie cooks agreed as they all armed themselves with giant cutlery. "Not like we have anywhere else to go…"

"Wh-what are you all doing?!" Gin asked frantically. "Haven't you realized how powerful the Don is? You should be running!"

"Hey Gin, lemme tell you something…" Sanji said, exhaling some smoke. "It's my duty as a sea cook to feed anyone who's starving. But the ones who're coming to take this shitty place are fed. So you better not complain when I kill them." Sanji's look became focused and serious. "If someone's coming to steal this ship, then I'll kill them, no questions asked. Even if it's you. Got that?"

"Sheesh, save a guy only to kill him afterward?" Patty asked sarcastically. "Some nice guy you are."

"Can it, shitty cook," Sanji said, bringing his nicotine stick up to his lips again.

"So, what do you think of Sanji?" Randy asked, strolling over to the table with his crewmates.

"He's cute, a dork, and he's got a big heart," Panala hummed. "He's just like you, Randy-kun, but he cooks delicious food! I can eat whatever I want and never get fat! IT'S AMAZING!"

"Who cares about him?!" Usopp snapped. "If we don't get outta here soon…"

"Calm down, our enemies are wounded pirates," Zoro reasoned.

"Besides, with a guy after my goal, we would have butted heads eventually," I agreed. "Might as well get it over now and show him how strong he really is. So Gin, was I right about the Shichibukai part?"

"That place… I don't know if that week was a nightmare or reality…" Gin said, shuddering as he clutched his shoulders. "I can hardly believe it myself… I'm still wrestling with that in my mind… how suddenly he appeared… how could our entire fleet have been decimated by a single man…"

"What?! Impossible!" the Baratie cooks and Usopp all shrieked. "A single man destroyed the entire Krieg Pirate Fleet of fifty ships?!"

"We had no idea what was going on…" Gin shakily recounted. "Our ships sank one by one… if that freak storm hadn't carried us away, we'd have lost the flagship too… I don't even want to think about how many ships survived or sank… That man's too terrifying to believe…! That man… and his hawk-eyed glare!"

Zoro immediately tensed up at the mention of the hawk-eyed man. "What?!" he grit out.

"A hawk-eyed man, eh?" Zeff asked. "The Hawk-eyed glare would suggest it's him, but the fact he sunk your armada in a week proves it. Straw Hat's right, you ran into a Shichibukai, and must have pissed him off."

"A Shichibukai?" Usopp asked. "What's that?"

"The Shichibukai are seven powerful pirates who work as Privateers for the World Government," Panala rattled off.

"And… and they're all that strong?!" Usopp gaped.

"Yep," Randy agreed.

"He's the man I've been looking for…" Zoro said, his fingers gripping Wado Ichimonji tight.

"Huh?!" Usopp asked in confusion.

"According to Johnny anyway…" Zoro continued.

"Hawk-eyed man, huh?" a cook mused. "If it's that red-eyed man, I remember him coming to this place before."

"Oh, right him," another agreed. "Yeah, that guy got so piss-drunk on wine his eyes turned red."

"Then the idiot got caught on fire and blew up," a third revealed. "That was a hell of a sight. Scared all our waiters away too."

"Johnny, that moron!" Zoro snapped. "He got his info mixed up!"

"What was that?" Panala asked.

"No, it's nothing…" Zoro sighed.

"So why'd a guy like that attack your fleet?" Sanji asked. "Did he have a grudge or something?"

"N-no! He just attacked suddenly!" Gin cut in.

"Maybe you disturbed his afternoon nap," Zeff suggested plainly.

"BULLSHIT!" Gin snapped. "You mean to tell me that he'd cut down an entire armada just for a slight like that?!"

"Keep your pants on, it was just an example," Zeff said, stroking his beard. "That's just the kinda place the Grand Line is."

"A place where the abnormal is the normal, huh?" Zoro asked.

"I can't freakin' wait!" Randy cheered. "Normal's overrated anyway!"

"Would it kill you to be realistic for a second?!" Usopp whined.

"Regardless, it looks like my goal is tied to the Grand Line, since the man I'm looking for is there," Zoro chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. Sanji looked at us in contemplation, then took a calming drag of his cigarette.

"…bunch of morons you lot are," he muttered loud enough for us to hear. "Idiots like you only rush to their deaths."

"True, but I'd rather you leave out the 'idiot' part," Zoro countered calmly. "Ever since I've decided to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I threw away my attachment for life. The only one who has the right to call me an idiot is me and me alone."

"I'm in the same boat," Randy agreed, Panala looking at him worriedly.

"As a real man, the same goes for me too!" Usopp agreed, only to get a dope slap from Panala.

"Liar, you're ready to turn and run at a moment's notice," Panala deadpanned.

"At least Panala-chan's being realistic…" Sanji scoffed. "I don't get why she's friends with idiots like you."

Panala quickly sat up and swatted Sanji upside his less-than-friendly head. "Because screw you, that's why!" Panala spat out. Randy noticed Zeff chuckling to himself as Sanji rubbed the new lump on his head.

"Well well, not many women have the balls to hit Sanji," Zeff praised.

"I was under the impression women hit this lecherous perv all the time~" Panala replied, folding her arms and smirking.

Zoro had to smirk as well. "I am so glad she's joining now," he commented. Panala offered him a high-five, which he eagerly reciprocated.

"Hey, dumbasses! Don't you realize the situation we're in right now?" Patty asked as he pointed a giant fork-like trident at us, tines forward. "The gigantic galleon that's parked right in front of the restaurant belongs to the Pirate Fleet Admiral Don Krieg! It's the strongest ship in the East Blue, got that?! You can dope slap Sanji all you want once we're outta this shit!"

"You figured out your Devil Fruit yet?" Randy asked as he leaned over to Panala.

"Nah, I'm kinda hoping for a breakthrough during this fight," Panala whispered back as the sound of men roaring aggressively as they started to board the ship.

"Here they come!" one of the Baratie Cooks warned. However, just as the first Krieg Pirate set foot on the dock outside, the seas churned as a crashing noise belted out from outside, wood smashing against wood.

"What?!" the Baratie Cooks yelped.

"The hell was that?!" Randy roared with similar exclamations coming from his friends.

"…goddammit," Zeff cursed quietly with wide eyes.

"What was that just now?!" Krieg demanded.

"Don Krieg! Our ship was… was just cut in half!" the Krieg Pirates whined as they tried to hang on.

"Cut?! What do you mean 'cut'?!" Krieg bellowed. "How the hell can a GALLEON be cut in half?! That's impossible…!"

"Crap, our ship was outside too!" Zoro realized as he leaped over the table. "Nami, Johnny, and Yosaku were inside!"

"We might be too late!" Randy said as he dashed for the front door.

"Raise the anchor, now!" Zeff ordered as the chefs scrambled to save their ship. "Or we're gonna get dragged under with the pirates!"

"Yes sir!" a cook agreed as the Straw Hats made it outside, where they found Johnny and Yosaku swimming in the churning water.

"Bro! Big Bro Zoro!" they whimpered.

"Johnny! Yosaku! Are you alright?" Zoro asked.

"What happened to the Merry?!" Randy asked. "Where's Nami?"

"About that… we're sorry, Big Bro Randy!" Johnny pleaded. "She's not here anymore!"

"Big Sis Nami… stole the treasure and ran away!" Yoskau revealed.

"What?!" Usopp and Zoro yelled in utter disbelief. Panala stayed silent, much like Randy did, since they knew this was coming.

"After all this, she still doesn't trust us…" Randy muttered under his breath, still a bit unnerved by this.

"Hey, don't get all mopey on us now," Panala said, elbowing his ribs lightly. Zeff froze as he saw a small ship sailing in the choppy waves.

"Th… that man is…" Zeff uttered as the man came into view for the rest of us.

"We're so sorry, Big Bro Randy…" Yosaku apologized. "Big Sis Nami tricked us…" The duo quickly recounted how Nami was looking at the Wanted Posters and said she wanted to change clothes without going back to her room. That should have tipped them off to be honest. She made them turn around so she could push them off the Merry and steal it.

"She said to tell you that if you're bound by fate, you'll see her again…" Johnny cried. "And then Krieg's ship got destroyed! We barely survived!"

"Damn that woman!" Zoro swore, punching the nearest wall. "She was acting all relaxed recently, so I let my guard down! And then this happens!"

"How dare she pull a fast one on us, especially in such a crisis!" Usopp scowled as Randy looked off the railing.

"Guys, I can still see the Merry!" he exclaimed as he pointed off in the direction of the Merry on the horizon.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"Yep, that's the Going Merry alright," Panala chimed in, looking at the ship with a hand over her eyes to shade them.

"Johnny, Yosaku, you still have your ship?" Randy asked.

"Yeah, it's docked by the Baratie," the duo answered in perfect unison.

"Alright, Zoro, Usopp, Panala, I need you three to go after her," Randy ordered.

"Why bother?" Zoro asked. "That woman's nothing but trouble. We can replace the ship."

"We can't just replace the Merry! She was a gift!" Usopp snapped.

"No, you don't get it," Randy staunchly objected. "Trouble or not, Nami is the only Navigator I want on our crew!"

"You know how he gets when he's stubborn," Panala sighed. "But if anything, I'm staying here with you, Captain Dork."

"…fine. What'd I do to deserve a Captain like this?" Zoro asked the heavens. "Hey Usopp, we're going!"

"Got it!" Usopp said, running for Johnny and Yosaku's ship, which they already started to get ready.

"Big Bro Zoro, we're ready!" Yosaku stated.

"Let's set sail!" Johnny agreed.

"Why are you staying here, Randy?" Usopp asked.

"You heard the deal I made with Zeff, and the challenge I issued to Krieg," the Captain plainly reminded Usopp. "I'm not leaving until I kick Krieg's ass and get Sanji to join us as our Cook."

"And I'm gonna stick around with Randy," Panala said calmly. "I don't feel like leaving this idiot alone yet."

"Just be careful, this situation's getting a little crazy," Zoro warned us.

"We will, don't worry," Randy assured Zoro.

"IT'S HIM!" The Krieg Pirates shrieked. "Don Krieg, it's him! The one who destroyed our fleet! He followed us out of the Grand Line! He's gonna kill us all!"

"That bastard…" Krieg cursed with sweat rolling down his face.

Zoro froze up as well, his body trembling in excitement. "It… it can't be… The Hawk-Eyed man…" Zoro shook out.

"You mean that's the guy who sank Krieg's fleet of fifty ships?" Patty asked in confusion.

"Then… he's the one who just destroyed Krieg's galleon?" Carne asked.

"He seems like any normal guy," another cook commented. "Doesn't look like he's got any kinda special weapon…"

"If you're looking for his weapon, it's on his back," Zeff observed.

"Wait, you're telling me he sank Krieg's fleet by swinging THAT thing?!" one of the cooks realized as they noticed the man had a giant sword on his back, the blade a perfect black sheen of metal and the crossguard as wide as a man's outstretched limbs, decorated with giant jewels.

"Yes, the Hawk-Eyed Man is a renowned swordsman," Zeff explained. "He's more renowned than any other swordsman in the world… The World's Strongest Swordsman… Dracule 'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I thought that was a great place to stop!**_

 **Panala: What's the bit with Johnny screwing up his info?**

 _ **A/N: It's the Japanese words for red and hawk. Red is Aka and Hawk is Taka, so they sound very similar, meaning Johnny could have easily misconstrued the info.**_

 **Randy: Anyway, onto the reviews!**

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 **Panala: NO ONE expects the Panala Inquisition! Oh-ho-ho-ho!**

 **Randy: Oi, oi, quit the noblewoman's laugh.**

 **Panala: NEVER!**

 _ **To sarahgri99:**_

 **Panala: I do often take people's breath away~**

 _ **A/N: Yeah, Panala's going to be an interesting character for the story.**_

 _ **To tanithlipsky:**_

 **Randy: Thanks.**

 _ **To 431101134:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks a lot! To answer your questions, no, Luffy wouldn't take over Randy's body ever without his permission, and even then he'd be loathe to do it.**_

 **Luffy: But I'm not bread.**

 **Randy: He said LOATHE, not LOAF.**

 **Luffy: What's it mean?**

 **Panala: It means you wouldn't like doing it. The more you know!**

 _ **A/N: As for other people coming over from Earth? No plans at the moment, but there will be more "Mystery People". MWAHAHAHAHA!**_

 **Randy: ...I don't like the sounds of that.**

 _ **To MysteriousGinseng:**_

 _ **A/N: Yeah, that's the common criticism for the first couple of chapters of the story. I didn't know better then and I was being unoriginal. If you're reading this, that means you either soldiered on or just popped in to check if I answered your review.**_

 **Randy: Also, my Devil Fruit has a dang good reason for why I'm so strong, but that's a story for later.**

 **Panala: You tease~**

 _ **To bennyf5302:**_

 **Luffy: Thanks! I figured that out!**

 **Panala: Oh, I plan on scaring the crap outta people.**

 **Randy: We can TRY to practice Haki, but it's very difficult to unlock willingly. It takes some emotional investment, and quite a bit.**

 **Luffy: What do you want to know?**

 _ **A/N: I'm not planning on Johnny and Yosaku joining the crew. They're alright, but there's still plenty of good fics on the web where they do, like Twelve Red Lines by Vikingr, and other fics where they set out to sea like Shinobi of the High Seas by Kenchi618.**_

 **Randy: CAN I create a Tornado? Probably, but it'd take a whole lot of setup time. That's a good idea actually...**

 **Panala: Chopper is going to be my adorable little brother and fluffy pillow of cuddliness!**

 _ **A/N: That's it for review responses, so please like, review, and follow if you haven't!**_

 **Panala: Next time on Sexy Guardian Panala-Chan, we watch Zoro get the crap cut outta him!**

 **Nami: Oh, and if you don't leave a review, this guy's gonna get a 1,000 Beri fine per day he doesn't update within the month.**

 _ **A/N: WOMAN, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? I DON'T EVEN USE THAT CURRENCY!**_

 **Nami: Then you can either just be my servant or use whatever currency you have on you.**

 _ **A/N: SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM THIS SUCCUBUS OF GREED!**_

 **Randy-Panala: You poor, poor man...**


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Within the month! Don't nickel and dime me to death, Nami!**_

 **Nami: ...fine. I'm only billing you 100,000 Beri.**

 _ **A/N: ...and with that generous offer, I'll live.**_

 **Randy: Just start the story already.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. I only own the original characters and any additional character exploration I create for this series.**

* * *

"Talking"

 _"Thinking"_

 **"Attack Name or Technique"**

 _ **"Author's Notes"**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 18: Clash of Swordsmen! Zoro vs. Hawk-Eye Mihawk**_

* * *

The Krieg Pirates were absolutely devastated. Hawk-Eye Mihawk had followed them out of the Grand Line, and had sliced their flagship in three pieces, perfectly cut. Now he was going to finish the job as they stood on the floating flotsam and jetsam.

"We're done for…" one of the pirates muttered.

"Dammit! What did we ever do to you, huh?!" a Krieg Pirate with dreadlocks demanded of the Shichibukai. "Why the hell did you have to follow us all the way out here?!"

Mihawk tilted his head in thought, his fingers woven together and his leg crossed over the other one. "…to kill some time," Mihawk finally stated.

"That's bullshit!" the dreadlocked pirate snapped as he whipped out two pistols and fired at Mihawk. Mihawk was silent, only moving his hand and reaching for his massive blade, Yoru. The Black Blade was pointed at the man, directly between himself and the bullets, and with a subtle twist of the wrist, the bullets we deflected off to the side.

"What, it missed?!" the Krieg Pirates yelled in disbelief.

"He deflected it," Zoro observed, having somehow silently moved behind the group in front of Mihawk. "No matter how many times you shoot him, the result will always be the same."

"And who're you, you bastard!?" the dreadlocked pirate snapped, Zoro ignoring him anyway.

"I've never seen such grace with a blade," Zoro commented. "Your skill is obvious to any swordsman."

"A sword without grace or skill is but a bar of iron," Mihawk agreed as he sheathed Yoru.

"Did you cut that ship with that sword as well?" Zoro asked.

"Of course," Mihawk confirmed.

"No wonder you're the World's Strongest…" Zoro said, grinning in anticipation like a demon. It was just then that the Krieg Pirates took notice of Zoro by the number of blades he had. "I set sail to meet you!"

Mihawk only looked at him, taking notice of who Zoro was. "…what do you aim for?" he asked.

"To claim your title," Zoro replied in a growl, tying his bandana on. "You said you're free, right? So let's have a duel."

"It's him! That's Roronoa Zoro, the Santoruyu-user!" the pirate who shot at Mihawk blurted out.

"The pirate hunter?" Krieg asked, a bit confused as Zoro was going after Mihawk, not himself.

"That's him?" Sanji asked, puffing out some CO.

"Hey, we're gonna lose sight of the Merry!" Usopp hissed.

"Usopp, that can wait," Randy said calmly, not even looking at him. "Nami's going somewhere specific."

"How do you know?" Usopp asked.

"Call it a hunch," Panala said, her own eyes focused on Mihawk.

"…pitiful," Mihawk scolded. "You're painfully unaware of your weakness." He stood up from his small, coffin-like craft and walked over, his eyes not edging from Zoro's gaze. "If you were a competent swordsman, then you'd know the difference between you and I without even needing to cross blades." His folded arms showed how relaxed he felt, not even caring about Zoro's reputation. "But still, you dare to challenge me. Does that bravery come from your conviction… or from ignorance?"

"It comes from my ambition," Zoro said, biting down on the Wado Ichimonji, "and a promise to a friend." The two stared at each other wordlessly for a bit. "To be honest, I never thought I'd meet you so early on in my journey…"

"It's a waste, if you ask me," Mihawk countered.

"The World's Strongest Swordsman versus the Pirate Hunter, Zoro," the Baratie Cooks murmured as we all watched from afar, my place on the Baratie's dock allowing me to lean on the air a bit.

"There's no one who can match our Bro Zoro!" Johnny and Yosaku proudly declared.

"That man… just what did he do to our ship…" Krieg mused as he watched Mihawk carefully, trying to figure out where the hell his strength came from. Zoro's gaze narrowed as Mihawk took his cross-shaped necklace off and gripped it by the smaller end of the cross.

"What are you doing?" Zoro demanded, curious as to why Mihawk wasn't using Yoru.

"I'm not so stupid as to use a cannon to hunt rabbits," Mihawk simply replied as he removed the longer part of the cross to reveal it was the sheath for a small dagger. "You may be the strongest swordsman in the East Blue, but the East Blue is the weakest of the four Blue Seas, all separated by the Grand Line and Red Line." He shrugged apologetically. "I am sorry, but I don't have a smaller blade on me now."

"There's a limit to how much I can be underestimated…" Zoro grumbled as he charged in. "You better not regret those words when you die!"

"Hear me, little frog in the well," Mihawk advised as Zoro crossed his arms across his chest. "It's time for you to realize the world is much bigger than the well you live in."

" **ONI…"** Zoro prepared for his currently signature technique. **"GIRI!"** However, as he tried to swing the blades, he felt himself trapped halfway through the swing. His eyes shot wide as he realized Mihawk had pinned the blades together at their intersection point, with nothing but the tip of the dagger he chose to fight with.

"That goes to show you… Mihawk is no joke…" Randy sighed, noting how cold and focused Mihawk was. And yet, there was a feeling of caution to him, as if he could feel… something in Zoro he didn't want to step on.

"Big Bro Zoro's **Oni Giri** was stopped cold!" Johnny and Yosaku blurted out. "That's his sure-kill technique!"

" _I… I can't even move forward!"_ Zoro reminded himself. _"There hasn't been a single man who's seen through this move until now! And he stopped it… with that toy!? This is ridiculous!"_ "AAAARRRRGHHHH!" Zoro roared as he pulled back and launched into a flurry of blows, trying desperately to land a single blow on Mihawk. _"My goal can't be this far out of reach!"_ Mihawk tapped his blades, the sheer force knocking him flat on his back. "UGH!" _"This can't be how far apart I am from him!"_ "RAAAAHHH!"

Zoro's berserker assault continued, Mihawk continuing with his calm defense as well. "Come on, Big Bro Zoro! Show him what you're really made of!" Johnny and Yosaku cheered on.

"Such ferocity…" Mihawk observed as he tapped away each of Zoro's swings, almost feeling bored.

"He's man-handling Zoro's Santoryu with that tiny thing!" a Krieg Pirate said, stating the obvious.

" _I didn't train so hard… to lose against this stupid toy!"_ Zoro chided himself. "I trained to win!" Kuina's last moments with him flashed through his mind. Her self-depreciation from her gender, his scolding of her giving up despite being better than him, and their promise to each other. "I trained to defeat him!" His promise to Kuina's father after she passed, the pirates running in fear at the sight of him, and the first time he met Johnny and Yosaku.

"What burdens you so?" Mihawk asked. "What do you still desire at the extent of your strength, weakling?"

"How dare you call our Big Bro a weakling?!" Johnny snapped.

"We oughta teach you a lesson, you bastard!" Yosaku hissed as the duo grabbed their blades and tried to leap at the fight.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Randy and Panala yelled as they each grabbed Johnny and Yosaku respectively, Randy yanking Johnny back by his collar and Panala wrenching Yosaku's ear as they pinned the two.

"You're not going to interfere with Zoro's fight!" Randy ordered as he pushed Johnny to the deck.

"If you interfere, he's never going to forgive you," Panala said as she sat on Yosaku like he was a stool, the bounty hunter quickly cowed by Panala's intimidating glare.

"Randy… Panala…" Usopp muttered in respect to the two for their understanding.

Zoro was knocked away again with a quick flick of Mihawk's arm. Zoro rolled to his feet, and swung his blades behind his left shoulder. **"TORA…"** his mind flashed to his meeting with Randy as he announced his attack.

-X-

" _The World's Greatest Swordsman, eh?" Randy echoed cheerfully. "Only the best for the King of the Pirates."_

-X-

" **GARI!"** Zoro shot at Mihawk, intent on cutting him down this time. With a speed he recognized similar to… no far faster than Randy's own, Mihawk dashed through Zoro's guard, and stabbed him in the chest. As the pain bubbled through his torso, Zoro had to admit, the attack was fluid, strong, and precise. Mihawk had stabbed him in the lungs, sliding the dagger perfectly between his ribs. He was mere inches away from his heart.

"BIG BRO!" Johnny and Yosaku yelled. Panala's eyes locked on Randy's hands, which were splintering the rail of the Baratie's dock in their grip. Her gaze quickly went up, and she saw Randy gritting his teeth, sweat rolling down his brow.

" _Randy… you know he's going to be fine,"_ Panala pondered. _"Why are you so worried?"_

Zoro was stunned, he couldn't believe how outclassed he was. But no matter how bad his body wanted to, he didn't step back. Mihawk looked honestly surprised as he saw Zoro's body fighting his will.

"Do you wish for me to pierce your heart?" Mihawk asked him. "Why do you refuse to step back?"

"You know, I'm not really sure myself," Zoro admitted. "But I get the feeling… if I took a single step back now… I'd lose something very important to me. The oath I made, or whatever it is… it'd be broken forever, and I'd never be able to return back to where I'm standing now."

"Yes, that is defeat," Mihawk clarified for Zoro.

"Hah… then that's why I can't step back," Zoro realized as his footing stabilized.

"Even if it means your death?" Mihawk asked, testing Zoro.

"I'd much rather die than break that oath!" Zoro eagerly answered.

" _Such resolve… to choose death over defeat…"_ Mihawk mused. "Kid… tell me your name."

Zoro moved his blades in front of him, holding them so they formed a triangular pinwheel-like formation from the front. "Roronoa Zoro," the injured swordsman gave.

"I shall remember it, for your strength is not often seen in this world," Mihawk stated as he sheathed the dagger, and reached for Yoru. "And to pay my respect to you as a fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my black sword, the World's Strongest Sword."

"He's using it! The sword that cleaved our ship apart!" the Krieg Pirates yelled.

" _So this is it… If I miss here, I'll die…"_ Zoro mused silently. _"To be the World's Strongest Swordsman… or to die here and now…"_

"DIE!" Mihawk bellowed, as if to make the situation even more tense.

"Big Bro, that's enough! Please stop!" Johnny and Yosaku begged as Randy's grip on the Baratie tightened even more. Zoro only started to spin the two blades in his hands, in reverse clockwise directions to each other.

" **SANTORYU OUGI!** " Zoro bellowed, Mihawk's eyes widening ever so slightly as he realized the technique coming. " **SANZEN SEKAI!** "

The pair passed each other, Mihawk passing by Zoro as Zoro took his step forward. The air was stagnant for a second, before a new wound appeared on Zoro's chest and his two black-handled blades shattered.

" _I lost… I'm no match for him…"_ Zoro realized as he held his shattered blades, blood welling up in his throat. _"I never even considered I could lose."_ He quickly removed Wado Ichimonji from his mouth and sheathed it carefully. _"So… this is the strength of the World's Strongest…!"_ Mihawk turned on heel to cut Zoro, but stopped as he saw Zoro stand, leaving his arms wide open.

"What…?" Mihawk asked as he basically saw an odd mix of surrender and staunch resolve.

"A scar on the back is a swordsman's shame," Zoro chuckled, grinning at Mihawk. He felt relieved, ashamed, and proud all at once.

"Splendid!" Mihawk agreed with a matching grin as he drew Yoru across Zoro's chest from shoulder to hip in a beautiful gliding stroke.

"ZORO!" Randy roared from his spot.

" _Don't rush to death so fast, young one,"_ Mihawk advised spiritually.

"BIG BRO ZORO!" Johnny and Yosaku blubbered.

"This is the power of the Grand Line… The power of the real world…" the Krieg Pirates yelped. "Even Pirate Hunter Zoro didn't stand a chance!"

" _Why…?"_ Sanji asked himself.

-X-

" _Ever since I've decided to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I threw away my attachment for life," Zoro revealed to Sanji from his seat. "The only one who has the right to call me an idiot is me and me alone."_

-X-

" _The damn bastard's out of his mind!"_ the blond cook continued. _"His enemy is the World's Strongest! Of course he's going to lose! Even if it means you're gonna die, just throw that damn ambition of yours away!"_ "You idiot! Why didn't you just abandon your dream?!"

" _Because he is willing to die for his dream, it is his life,"_ Mihawk chided mentally, before he felt something unsettling as Zoro fell into the water. He refocused as he heard wood snapping and the air popping.

"YOU BASTAAAARRRRD!" Zoro's companion in the straw hat roared.

"The young swordsman's comrade?" Mihawk asked as he saw the red-vested youth leap into the air.

His Haki kicked into overdrive, and his vision blurred to a new scene. The swordsman's comrade, rapidly closing in on him by kicking off the air at least ten times in a split second, and… a black fist swinging for his head, barely visible from the blur it was. He snapped back to reality as Randy vanished from normal sight, and reappeared just in front of him. The black fist swung for his head, but he had been warned by his spirit. He quickly sidestepped the blow, letting the youth smash into the broken piece of deck where he and Zoro were fighting.

"What the hell?!" Sanji snapped as he had to refocus on the spot in the air where Randy was standing just a split second ago, and then to the spot where Randy had buried his hand into the deck. Mihawk noticed something just as odd as finding the Color of Armaments in the East Blue, the color quickly fading from the youth's arm as it was pulled out of the water, all but fading away as the youth flexed his hand.

"What was that!?" the Krieg Pirates shrieked. "Was that a Devil Fruit?"

"The Devil Fruit…" Krieg muttered. "No wonder that brat's so cocky."

" _Impossible… This boy can wield Haki… but it just vanished, as if he never had it in the first place…"_ Mihawk pondered as he watched the angered youth, his surprise masked by his curiosity. "Fear not, the young man is still alive," Mihawk revealed as Randy landed beside him, immediately relaxing and from what Mihawk felt, a bit of self-depreciation and embarrassment.

"Big Bro Zoro, answer us!" Johnny asked as he and Yosaku brought Zoro to the surface. Zoro coughed up some blood as the guys got Zoro on the bounty hunting duo's boat.

"I am Dracule Mihawk! It is far too early for you to die!" Mihawk declared. "Learn yourself, learn of the world, and become strong, Zoro!" Johnny and Yosaku quickly applied medicine to his wounds and were trying to patch him up. "No matter how many months or years pass by, I will be waiting for you here at the top of the world! So forge on ahead with that fierce conviction of yours, and try to surpass my blade! Surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"

"C'mon Big Bro Zoro, answer me!" Yosaku pleaded.

"To think Mihawk would say such a thing," Zeff mused, Panala giving a chuckle.

"Zoro left a good impression," Panala commented. "And I think my Captain did the same." _"Randy, you knew he was gonna live, you dork! What the hell was that about?"_

"Boy, what do you aim for?" Mihawk asked Randy, now curious as to the boy who allied with his awaited challenger.

"To claim the One Piece, and become the Pirate King," Randy answered strongly, not giving Mihawk a flinch or moved gaze.

Mihawk could only smile once more, if ever so slightly. "A tough path indeed," he chuckled. "One even more difficult than defeating me."

"And we'll forge those paths side-by-side, you can count on it," Randy countered, turning back to the others, minus Panala. "Usopp, how's his wounds?"

"We've treated them, but he's far from fine!" Usopp said, being the only one on the ship not bawling his eyes out. "He's alive, he's just out cold!"

"C'mon, Big Bro Zoro!" Johnny begged.

"Answer us, please!" Yosaku pleaded. Zoro answered by unsheathing Wado Ichimonji and pointing it skyward.

"Zoro, you still with us, buddy?" Randy called out, concern lingering in his voice.

"R-Randy… can you hear me?" Zoro asked, blood still seeping from his wounds.

"Loud and clear, Zoro!" Randy answered eagerly.

"Sorry for worrying you… I know… that if I don't become the World's Greatest Swordsman…" Zoro huffed out, still holding the sword high. "It'll only embarrass you…" Zoro hacked up some more blood, cutting into his soliloquy.

"Bro, please take it easy!" Johnny and Yosaku begged.

"I SWEAR! That I'm NEVER gonna lose again!" Zoro swore, tears flowing freely as he rested his free hand on his forehead. "Until the day I defeat Mihawk and claim his title! I swear I'm never gonna lose again! Is that alright with you, Pirate King!?"

Mihawk noted Randy softly sighed, as if all was right with the world once more. "That's fine with me, you green-haired jerk!" Randy laughed.

"You two make a good team," Mihawk commented as he turned to walk towards his ship. "I'd like to see the two of you again in the future…"

"Oh, Mihawk, wait," Randy cut in, drawing the Swordsman's attention back to the youth. "If you see happen to meet Red-Haired Shanks, can you pass a message onto him for me?" Mihawk felt a semblance of confidence, as if Randy knew he could very well do that.

"…I'm listening," Mihawk asked, looking back at Randy.

"Tell that red-haired drunk that I'm on my way, and I'll explain everything to him soon," Randy eagerly recited, as if he'd been mulling over this moment for a long time.

"If I see him, I'll pass it on," Mihawk commented, holding back a smile at the very accurate description of his former sparring partner.

"Hawk-Eye!" Krieg cut in, a bit too eagerly for Mihawk's taste. "Didn't you come all the way out here for my head? The head of the infamous ruler of the East Blue, 'Don Krieg'?"

"For a while, yes, but I've had my fun," Mihawk curtly replied. "I think I'll go back to my nap now."

"No need to be so curt," Krieg suggested. "You may have had your fun, but I sure haven't!"

"D-D-D-Don Krieg! Why is he trying to stop that man from leaving?!" the Krieg Pirates whimpered.

"Why don't you die before you leave!?" Krieg asked, unloading his body-mounted arsenal of flintlocks.

"Hmph, you never learn, do you?" Mihawk asked as he reached for Yoru. "Farewell." And with one swift stroke, Mihawk cut the part of the shipwreck between himself and Krieg, deflecting the rain of bullets and knocking a wall of water between himself and the arrogant Don. _"Just another large frog in a small well…"_ He quickly reached out with the Color of Observation, trying to find Randy's aura, and was satisfied to find he'd escaped back to the Baratie, unharmed. _"So, the swordsman's comrade made it…"_ Mihawk smiled to himself as he let his Haki quell for a bit, quickly making his escape. _"Roronoa Zoro… that is an interesting man you follow. You two will shake the world, no doubt."_

-X-

-Panala-

-X-

"That was too close, you idiot!" I scolded Randy with a quick rap upside the head. "And what was with that berserker bum-rush? You know how strong Mihawk is!"

"Sorry, sorry, I just got really concerned," Randy apologized, leaning in close. "Temporal causality is still a bitch."

"No kidding, dork," I sighed, looking for Mihawk. "He's gone already."

"Usopp, get going, or you'll lose Nami!" Randy ordered as Usopp grabbed Randy's straw hat, Johnny and Yosaku quickly patching up Zoro's still somewhat bleeding wounds.

"Zoro and I will definitely bring Nami back, Randy!" Usopp called out as he tossed the straw hat towards us. "So make sure you get that Cook to join! Once we have six people in our crew, we'll head for the Grand Line!"

"You know it!" Randy said, snatching his hat out of the air and donning it once more.

"You're sure brave for being ready to piss your pants at the mention of the Grand Line earlier, Usopp!" I called out, earning a wild take from our sniper.

"You shut your mouth, Panala!" Usopp barked as they sailed away from our battlefield.

"They're finally arriving," Sanji mulled over as the Krieg Pirates drifted back within boarding range on the scraps of their flagship. "The damn pests."

"We still holding to that agreement, Zeff-san?" Randy asked, looking at the braid-stache'd cook. "I help get rid of Krieg, and I pay off my tab?"

"Do whatever you want kid," Zeff gruffly answered.

"You sure you don't want a weapon?" one of the cooks asked me as he held his fork-spear tight. "Not sure what kinda fightin' style you use, Miss."

"No thanks, I'll use my head." I grinned, tapping my forehead and then jerking it forward and making a crunch sound.

"If you say so," the cook replied as I honestly was trying not to shit myself. _"No formal training outside of brawling, and I'm staring down experienced killers and fighters. I have no idea what my powers entail aside from turning me into a girl, and if I'm lucky, it's more than just that."_ I looked at the Krieg pirates, my adrenaline pumping through my veins. _"And Randy and Sanji will have my back no matter what, even if Gin tries to kill me. I should be fine. …I hope."_

* * *

 _ **A/N: Finally! We got that animal done!**_

 **Panala: You're not gonna make little ol' me fight the big nasties, are you?**

 _ **A/N: You wouldn't have it any other way and you know it.**_

 **Panala: Spoilsport.**

 **Nami: Anyway, onto the reviews!**

 _ **A/N: But first, collective review answer for anyone else in the future who wants to make a comment at how unoriginal I was for like, the first six or seven chapters. I get it. I screwed up, I sucked at writing, it's just a rehash. But I'm not gonna go back and just change that and make your comments invalid because of it. This story continues to grow with each person that makes a comment. Unless you all freakin' DEMAND that I go back and change things, I'm not gonna.**_

 **Randy: ...someone's salty.**

 _ **To gamelover41592:**_

 **Randy: Hope you enjoyed reading Zoro get the snot kicked outta him.**

 _ **To bennyf5302:**_

 **Luffy: Ew, why would I do that?**

 **Nami: Yeah, good luck doing that when I took all my money back plus your own. You can't out-money-thief me.**

 **Panala: It's true, we tried!**

 **Randy: No, I can't do the Dovakin Thu'um. ...but I'll get back to you on that one.**

 **Panala: I am a petite girl of five-foot-five with raven locks down to my shoulders, glasses framing my lovely green eyes, a figure that is a little more hip-heavy than Nami's current one, and currently I'm wearing a purple t-shirt and black pants. And no bra~**

 **Randy: Tease. And as for Panala's powers... well, you'll have to see later.**

 _ **To sarahgri99:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!**_

 _ **To DeathDragon456:**_

 **Randy: Thanks a lot! And nope, my Devil Fruit is not related to either of those!  
**

 _ **A/N: I hope you made it to this chapter too!**_

 _ **To Intata:**_

 _ **A/N: Thanks for that, I didn't even realize it. I'll try to skip the exposition for things the fans would already know in the future.**_

 **Randy: And glad to see you liked the cat puns. Just a little hinting that I knew more than Kuro was letting on as Klahadore.**

 _ **A/N: That's all the reviews for now! And so, next time...**_

 **Panala: Next time on Sexy Magical Warrior Panala-Chan...**

 **Nami: And Nami-San!**

 **Panala/Nami: We're gonna fleece these boys dry!**

 **Randy- _A/N: OH GOD SOMEONE HELP US!_**

 **Luffy: But we don't have sheep's wool.**


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